BW Hotelier conversed with Arun George, Co-Founder and Director, TOIT, to know more about the brand with one year down outside of their founding city.

CELEBRATING THEIR first anniversary in November, TOIT Brewery Mumbai, the brand’s first outlet outside of Bengaluru, on this occasion brought down the Silicon Valley of India’s popularly known 'The Permit Room' to Mumbai for a month-long pop up from November 15 on this special occasion. TOIT Mumbai will also be introducing a new special Chevallier bitter beer as part of their celebrations. BW Hotelier conversed with Arun George, Co-Founder and Director, TOIT, to know more about the brand with one year down outside of their founding city.

Completing one year of TOIT, how has the year served for the brand?

Arun George: Our first foray out of Bangalore, our first year in Mumbai has been an interesting one. A very different market from Bangalore, we’ve learned a lot over this year, and are also very glad that Mumbai has embraced TOIT and what we have to offer. The beer drinking culture in Mumbai is definitely on the rise, and we are excited to be a part of this evolving landscape.

How has the location in Mumbai served to be profitable for your business? Also, what is the clientele that TOIT caters to i.e. Corporates, family and Friends, etc.?

AG: Being surrounded by so many office complexes means a predominantly corporate, post-work crowd on weekdays. The weekends see a more vibrant mix of clientele. We like to see ourselves as a very inclusive space, where people of all ages are comfortable. Our typical age group would be the slightly older, 30+ crowd.

What are the signature F&B offerings served at TOIT Mumbai to present the varied guests with delectable offerings? What additions have you made at both the outlets in terms of ambience?

AG: We’ve brought to TOIT Mumbai, apart from our signature wood-fired pizzas and other classics, our favourite picks from The Permit Room (also run by us), which showcases the glory of South Indian food, in an innovative fun way. This we believe gives us a bit of an edge over other outlets in the area, and both the food offerings & the cocktails have been very well received.

TOIT in Bangalore is well known for its rustic charm & chilled-out vibe with a lot of natural light streaming in during the day. We have tried to bring these elements to Mumbai. While we are not an entertainment-centric space, we do have live gigs occasionally and will be doing more of this in the coming months.

Which delicacies do you predominantly focus on at both the outlets? Are you looking to add new worldly cuisines to your existing menu?

AG: As mentioned before, we have a good mix of pub classics, signature TOIT dishes & some delicious fare from The Permit Room. In addition, we keep experimenting with special menu offerings. We did a South American themed menu this year, as well as an Oktoberfest menu, both of which were quite popular.

Why did you ideate to bring the month-long pop up at TOIT Mumbai? What is the speciality of the same?

AG: While we have some of The Permit Room’s food already on our menu in Bangalore, we felt we had to bring to Mumbai some of the old school classics that are so popular at The Permit Room in Bangalore. What better time to do this than our One Year anniversary?! This includes the Thalis, which we plan to continue at TOIT Mumbai even after the pop-up.

Please throw light on your new offering Chevallier bitter beer? How would you educate and promote the beverage to the varied clientele with different likings in the city?

AG: The Chevallier bitter is made from an Heirloom malt called ‘Chevallier’, which is a very specific strain of malt, not very widely made or available. We’ve had a few beer appreciation sessions at TOIT, where customers get to try this & other beers on offer and get to learn a little something about them along the way. Customers can also always have a chat with our staff who are well versed with the different beers on offer.

What are your expansion plans in India and the overseas market?

AG: We are opening in Pune very soon, and are closely looking at some overseas opportunities. We are also working on our production brewery in Bangalore & our brand of Apple Cider will be on the shelves very soon. So lots to look forward to from the TOIT stable in the coming months