Ravi Chandran: CEO Liwa Minor

Ravi  Chandran has 28 years of extensive experience in Europe and the Middle East in the hospitality industry, executing multiple start-ups, creating new concepts, and leading multi-brand operations and has spearheaded 24 food & beverage brands, turned around loss-making businesses, restructured acquired businesses, and sustained success through new business model innovation.

Ravi Chandran currently leads Liwa Minor based in UAE and operates The Coffee Club for the MENA region, an All Day Dining Café from Australia with 18 outlets in operation in UAE and one each to open in KSA and Qatar in 2018. Since joining in August 2016, Ravi Chandran has set the strategic direction for the MENA region for The Coffee Club brand with a steadfast and robust roll-out plan of 100+ outlets to be opened in the Middle East in the next five years along with entry to five new markets. Ravi is also working on expanding the company’s portfolio with plans to make an acquisition of an existing F&B concept and franchise an International F&B brand as part of its growth strategy.

Ravi Chandran graduated with a GMP from Harvard Business School, USA, and also holds an MBA from the University of Bradford, UK, and a Diploma in Hotel Management from Les Roches, Switzerland.

Ravi, a pleasure to have you doing this. Please tell me a little about you?

I was born in Qatar. I studied in Qatar, India, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. I have worked in Switzerland and presently working in the Middle East.  I have traveled to 54 countries and this has made me a global citizen and has shaped my personality. I believe in living in peace and harmony. I live in this vibrant city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and have enjoyed every moment of my 28 years here and at the same time staying truly Indian.

What does your job as a CEO with Liwa Minor entail?

Liwa is a UAE based company in a joint venture with the Minor group of Thailand and hence Liwa Minor. It is the Master Franchise for a café called The Coffee Club. I lead my talented team and my job entails following the vision of the founders, strategically grow and expand the brand in the region, and to be the most preferred All-Day Dining Café in the region and we are on track to achieve it. 

Congrats. Tell me a little bit about The Coffee Club and how it plays a role in the UAE?

We are the Master franchise in the Middle East and North Africa for The Coffee Club, a 28-year-old Australian All-Day Dining Café. In four years, we have opened 23 outlets in UAE, 1 in Qatar, and 1 KSA and continue to grow to 100+ outlets in the Middle East region. The Coffee Club competes on two categories and that is our unique selling proposition, with premium coffee we compete with the likes of Starbucks, Costa, and Caffe Nero and with the food we compete with Paul Café, Shakespeare & Co and Café Bateel, the latter two being homegrown all-day dining cafes. We are a lifestyle café where people come to have good food, great service, and excellent coffee in a relaxed atmosphere which is our brand promise.

Dubai is the Mecca of food. What are some exciting trends?

Dubai is now one of the leading food capitals of the world, along with San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Singapore, and Melbourne. Every top brand and every Top Chef have set up shop in Dubai. Dubai leads the way in being the entry for global brands in the region, especially with a cosmopolitan population comprising of 210 nationalities and 15 million tourists every year. The trend today has totally changed. The leading chains and leading names are taking a back step. The homegrown local brands, created and opened by Dubai residents, especially by UAE nationals and particularly by young and talented UAE national women, who have been bold, creative and innovative in their café designs and concepts, and food and beverage creations from food trucks to café’s and restaurants, they are ruling the roost and particularly supported by their fellow citizens. Dubai is also gearing more towards healthy food, street food, regional cuisines, and home delivery has taken over in-premise dining with the majority of the population being young and using smartphone technology to order food. 

Do chefs keep this trend in mind or keep the consumer in mind when designing food?

It is always the balance of what trends arise from the West and can be introduced to the market and what the customers are looking for, as the people of this multinational Multicultural city are adventurous in exploring new food concepts, new cuisines and today’s food has to be instagramable, delivery friendly and above all wallet-friendly in a soft economy. Chefs today work with fresher ingredients, new spices, and herbs that were never used before, organic food, local produce, and apply sustainable practices.

What are some disruptions in the restaurant business?

Technology has been changing consumer behavior and home delivery has disrupted the in-dining experience.  Food concepts with the best experiences will survive the ever-growing competition.  Convenience stores like 7-11, selling hot and cold food are gaining popularity as consumers look for value and convenience whether they are at work or driving around. At the end of the day. whatever the latest technology and AI one can have in their restaurant, what will make a restaurant successful will be the core basics – quality and consistency of food.

How do you stay balanced with your hectic schedule?

I always used to ask my former boss, the head of a large organization, why he is the last person to leave work, and why he also worked on a weekend being the big boss. He said when you reach the top you will know, you will be alone, you won’t like it at times, but it’s the challenge and accomplishments that will keep you going. How true it was!! I wake up at 5 am every day and read a book on management or self-development for 30 minutes and go to the gym and head to work. I need to keep very fit and fully energized to face the day dealing with various people, meetings, and issues and one needs to be physically and mentally fit. Evenings I relax at home watching the news, reading newspapers, cooking something light and try and sleep early.

You run marathons, how important is food to your regimen?

I was an athlete in my school and college days and 40 years later still continue to run and cycle. I do 5 K and 10 K runs every year and train for it. I also do the 92 K cycling challenge. Food plays an important, even though I run a food business, I tend not to eat outside and cook my own food. I am disciplined in my eating habits, avoiding sugar and flour, and eat more vegetables, fruits, chicken and fish, avoiding red meat, junk food, and sugary beverages and eat 5 small portions a day. My cheat day is on the weekend.

Name me three of your favorite restaurants in Dubai?

I am not a fan of celebrity chef restaurants and over-priced glamorous concepts. I love to eat authentic national cuisines and regional cuisines and my favorites are Al Hallab for Lebanese Cuisine, Sri Krishna Sweets for South Indian cuisine, Sultan Baba Iskander for Turkish Cuisine.

How does faith finance family and food help you stay grounded?

Finance – 18 years ago I got into charity work and I learned money can’t buy you health and happiness, and one needs only a certain amount of money to live a comfortable lifestyle with no excess. Savings are my strength to help me for the rainy day.

Family – In every 10 years of your life, some family member is more important and some do not care enough, and when we reach 40’s and 50’s suddenly we love and care for our parent’s more than ever, especially when I lost my mother at 59 and realized I never spent much time with her and now I spend more time with my dad at 84. That’s the circle of life.

Food – I have already written. I believe in the words: Eat Sensibly and Exercise Regularly. Apart from that running a Healthy Meal business 8 years ago as General Manager, opened my eyes to eating healthy and controlling my portion size which is often neglected.