To Revolutionise the Way Indians Consume Food at Airports, Railways and Highways

Gaurav Dewan, COO, shares the journey of Travel Food Services, its various verticals and future plans.

TRAVEL FOOD Services is India’s leading travel food and retail brand with over 280 outlets and a legacy of over 45 years. It is committed to transforming the travel experience in India through customised concepts via three touch points – airports, railways and highways. In addition to airport lounges, and airport F&B and retail outlets, Travel Food Services also operates Raildhabas across railway stations like Pune, Vizag, Vijayawada and Madurai, the latest Raildhaba being launched at Agra Cantt in February; manages a first-of-its-kind executive lounge at Vishakhapatnam Railway Station; and has expanded its reach to road travellers through the food court on Delhi -Haridwar Highway.

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Tell us about the journey of TFS?

We started 10 years back when the privatization of airports had started in India. Initially, the framework was a challenge, but with an attitude of continuous improvement and learnings, we have been able to thrive above. With a passion to transform travel food in India, it has driven us to introduce various concepts which helped in enhancing the overall passenger experience. We are present across major airports including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and railway stations along with our recent venture in the highway sector – National Food Court. We have a bouquet of 75-80 food brands which includes international, national and in-house brands across all the verticals. We are over 280 outlets strong and expanded presence across 19 cities.

What are the various verticals that TFS caters to? Tell us about the expansion plans.

Verticals are airports (lounges, f&b and retail); railways (lounges and f&b); highways (f&b and retail). Currently, we have over 15 lounges, 232 cafes and QSR and more than 17 retail outlets. We plan to add another 40 retail and F&B units across Lucknow, Guwahati, Goa, Kochi and so on.

What about the future plans?

Travel Food Services has grown at a very fast pace in the last 10 years and we are close to touching 300 outlets across the three verticals. In the near future, we are looking at expanding to various tier 2 cities in India across rail, road and air. We are committed to revolutionizing the way India travels and consumes food and retail.

Any investment planned in the near future?

We plan to add over 40 outlets by the end of the year, the range of investment required may start at 20-30 lakh and can go upwards of 6 crores depending on the type of outlet; largely the expense lies in the range of 70 to 90 lakh.


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