Cloud kitchen operator plots aggressive SEA expansion with unique approach

Disruptive events may sound like trouble, but they’re not always bad – they can even accelerate some business trends. Covid-19, perhaps the single greatest disruptive force that businesses have had to contend with in modern history, is no different.

One trend that got a push as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns is cloud kitchens. Benjamin Weber, a senior manager working in the New Delhi office of a consultancy firm, swore by food delivered from these providers while he stayed alone in India during the lockdown. The impressive packaging and food quality, he says, eased his worries about safety and hygiene.

Getting ready to send out orders / Photo credit: Rebel Foods

While some countries began reopening public spaces in the second half of 2020, people still find it hard to venture out.

Viraj Nair, a 34-year-old senior consultant and a new father, has virtually stopped going out to eat and prefers instead to cook at home or order in.

As a result, brick-and-mortar restaurants have gone bust, while cloud kitchens have thrived – and they don’t even have to spend for the overhead costs of a physical store.

Rebel Foods, one of India’s first cloud kitchen operators, is riding high on the pandemic boost. Having entered markets like Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East, the company is now lining up an aggressive expansion plan in Southeast Asia.

In Indonesia, for instance, Rebel Foods is targeting to open up to 100 cloud kitchens, and it will partner with one of its backers: Gojek, which invested US$50 million in 2019.

Speaking to Tech in Asia, Raghav Joshi, CEO of Rebel Foods’ India business unit, says that the company is not only looking to open more kitchens in India and international markets, but it’s also pivoting towards being a platform rather than simply being an operator.

From quickserve to cloud

Rebel Foods started life as Faasos, a quick-service restaurant chain whose menu centered around various kinds of wraps. It was founded in 2004 by Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee, batchmates at IIM Lucknow, a premier Indian management school. By 2011, amid soaring rental prices and a nascent online food-ordering culture, Faasos shut down all physical stores and became a cloud kitchen.

The launch of Swiggy’s and Zomato’s food delivery services in the coming years only helped justify that decision.

Today, Rebel Foods runs 350 cloud kitchens across 40 cities in India and operates 50 more in Asia as well in the UK and United Arab Emirates.

Food preparation at a Rebel Foods’ cloud kitchen / Photo credit: Rebel Foods

Loving the new normal

Expansion mode back on

Pivoting towards being a platform

Replicating success in Southeast Asia