Bengaluru, 07 September(HS): Udupas Hospitality is one of the oldest event management companies, functional since 1980, actively involved in a variety of service businesses like providing venues, hospitality and infrastructure, to name a few. Thanks to their rich experience in the field, they have become masters, veterans, and experts catering to individual, social and corporate functions. Perhaps, their expertise over a period of time looks endless, going by the types of events they have been associated with. Here’s an overview of some of them: Wedding/Reception, Lifestyle occasions, exhibitions, engagements, sangeet, roka, pre-wedding ceremonies, vara puja, haldi, mehendi, post-wedding ceremonies, corporate events…Vinod Joseph, CEO of Udupas Hospitality, in an informal chat, gives an overall view of the group. Excerpts from the same:
Q: Can you brief about the Udupa’s Hospitality group?
Vinod Joseph: Udupa’s Hospitality is there for the last year and a half in the market currently. But as a company, if you see, Udupa’s is a 45-year-old company. Started from scratch, they have today built an empire, a milestone and an inspiration to many people.
Q: Can you brief about the people behind the success of the company?
Vinod Joseph: Vasudev and Ashok Udupa are pillars of the company. Our activities are not restricted or limited to Bengaluru alone, nor across the state of Karnataka, but all around the country we go. Udupa has made a name. Udupa’s has got a brand. because of the two brothers, Vasudev Udupa and Ashok Udupa. They are the pillars of this place.
Q: What would you like to mention about the two brothers, Vasudev Udupa and Ashok Udupa?
Vinod Joseph: I think a lot of inspiration we should take from them, especially as youngsters like us. We should take the inspiration to build for people. In fact, today, so many families are living because of them, the kind of things they have done.
Q: How about Udupa’s role in the event segment?
Vinod Joseph: In the event segment, they are the best in terms of currently in Bangalore, Chamra Vajra, especially. Udupa’s is the number one venue across Bangalore. And it’s such a privilege when we had Udupa’s enterprises to begin a hospitality segment. It is a privilege to be a hospitality partners for most of the segments happening today.
Q: What are the challenges in the hospitality sector?
Vinod Joseph: In the hospitality segment, what we take care it’s mostly the client management, the end-to-end solutions for whether it is catering, whether it is any kind of event, corporate or concerts. We are the front end that takes care of the front end. We take care of client management, talk to the clients, talk to the customers, take feedback, work on feedback, and ensure that there is quality in whatever we are involved in and deliver.
Q: What is the main agenda when it comes to taking care of the requirements as far as food is concerned?
Vinod Joseph: I have my team, where when we talk about the catering part, we have one exclusive team that manages the kitchen as well. Whether it is quality, whether it is our consistency, or the taste, there is a back-end team working on it as well. And it’s such a privilege to head this department and to admit I don’t have a big team, but we are a small team. And as a team, we are only 12 members. However, we do deploy people as and when required, depending upon the size of the event. We are associated with a lot of other caterers, too, wherein our focal point should be quality and giving good food to our people. That is the main agenda, or that is our main motto. It’s to give good food.
How many people are employed indirectly?
Vinod Joseph: If you see who are benefited indirectly, there are a lot of people. See every catering that we do, when we talk about a typical Banana leaf meal, which is our style, for service itself, I have nothing less than 40 to 50 people. The service, the kitchen, and the cleaning, because the cleaning team is the backbone of any catering segment. So unless and until we don’t take care of them, they don’t take care of us.
Q: So what will be the usual tariff, like, you charge?
Vinod Joseph: Tariff wholly depends on the guest-to-guest specifications. We don’t say, you know, this is what you need to give, in the sense that we don’t suggest anything on our own. We listen to their requirements and budget flexibility. Some people inform in plain terms that this is our budget. Why don’t you give food on that budget? So we are not very stringent, saying that this is the budget I want to work with. No, I want to give good food. That is my motto. Some people say my budget has a limitation. I have options even for 900 rupees per person, for which I agree, no problem. Even for 900 rupees, when I commit to catering, I want to give the best to my guests. So that’s what we believe in. Ultimately, customer satisfaction is what matters in this business to continue and grow.
Q: Presently, how many locations are you operating in Bengaluru?
Vinod Joseph: Currently, if you see, we are associated with about 20 to 25 venues across Bengaluru, wherein we are tied up with catering. We are tied up with end-to-end solutions, decor and even space as well. So for them, we do a lot of catering. And corporates, also we are into the corporate segment as well, in terms of catering.
Q: How about places other than Bengaluru?
Vinod Joseph: Other than Bengaluru, we have done events in Hospet, where we did the Hampi Utsav. That is what Udupa’s enterprises have done, which is a feather in the cap, doing such a big event. In Hospet, we have served about 4 and a half lakh people. So we have done events on that scale too. So we don’t mind exploring different parts of India, especially to give our South Indian banana leaf meal. Why can’t I serve it in Delhi or Mumbai? Why can’t I serve it in Kashmir? Why can’t I serve the same food in Gujarat? That’s what is our vision. Next to take this, I want to ensure that we also keep catering to the North. I want to take my banana leaf meal to the North and give it. Probably then we will see, God is there, and he will surely take us to the nooks and corners of the country. Probably then he will take us to different parts of the world to serve my food.
Q: What about the numbers, as far as the turnover is concerned?
Vinod Joseph: As of now, we are not too keen on keeping that in mind. As I said, we want to ensure that people know that Udupa hospitality focuses on quality food, and we want to deliver quality food. That’s what we believe in.
Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti
