There was never any doubt that Shakir Haq was one day going to join the family business. In fact, he didn’t have plans to do anything else than to follow the path that his father, the former Chairman and Managing Director of NKP Empire Ventures, had blazed before him.
“I was always inspired by my father; he was my first role model,” Haq tells The CEO Magazine. “The way he did things, the way he put his people before everything else, those things inspired me. I knew it from the start, as a child, that I wanted to get into the business and do nothing else.”
From humble beginnings in 1966 as the owner of a small eatery in Bangalore, Haq’s grandfather, Abdul Rahim Haji, laid the foundations for NKP Empire Ventures to evolve into the impressive hospitality enterprise it is today. Serving 50,000 customers daily across its 40 outlets and through 15,000 home delivery orders, the company encompasses six diverse brands to satisfy a range of consumer needs.
“I always say we are in the people business, not in the food business,” Haq says. “The moment you think you’re in the food business is where you start cutting corners, because that is where you can bring down your costs. But what’s primary for us is quality control and quality assurance.
“It is the brand promise that we deliver. That is primary, cost is secondary. We have a zero-tolerance attitude toward cutting corners by bringing down quality while looking for greater profit.”
Principles for longevity
As a company that has not only survived but thrived over nearly six decades, NKP Empire Ventures is clearly doing a lot right.
“What sets us apart is that we follow the ‘3P principle’ in everything we do: people, process, product,” Haq enthuses.
“We’ve never worked with outside partners or investors or professional companies to bring in changes. We’ve kept the soul alive by making our people the biggest ambassadors of the brand.”
Boasting consumers who have remained loyal to the brand over years or even decades, NKP Empire Ventures is determined to continue excelling when it comes to customer service.
“We still have generational customers wherein we have grandparents coming with their grandchildren to dine with us,” Haq reveals.
“It’s a cascading effect that we’ve built over time. We’ve grown stronger and wiser, and maturity comes into play as well.”
“We still have generational customers wherein we have grandparents coming with their grandchildren to dine with us.”
While staying true to NKP Empire Ventures’ roots and honoring the legacy of his grandfather, Haq also recognizes that it’s vital to keep adapting and adjusting to market and consumer demands.
“In terms of culture and consumption behavior in India, it’s only going to get more dynamic in the next five-to-10 years,” he predicts. “So all creativity needs to be put in today to stay relevant. With the food, we are iconic. But how you eat the food can always keep changing, so that’s something we have to work on alongside our customers.
“We have a lot of data we’ve generated over the years, which is gold for us. We have a data center management team that is crunching data nonstop, day in, day out.”
Working alongside trusted local suppliers, such as Griffith Food, over many years has also ensured that NKP Empire Ventures maintains its faultless reputation.
“We have the utmost respect for our vendors. We look at the relationship first and then the transactional value,” Haq explains.
“Trust is built on our four values: people before profit, trust, resilience and customer-first. And when I say the customer comes first, it’s the same with dealing with vendors – it is vendors first.”
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Haq believes in the power of allowing all employees to act autonomously and encouraging a mindset of ownership and accountability across every level of the business.
“We are empowering them to take big leaps of faith to ensure calculated risks are taken, and mistakes are being made,” he says. “So that inclusivity, and that diverse culture is there, where everybody is coming together to achieve a collective common goal that is purely about excellence at the end of the day.
“And as CEO of a family-owned business, it gives me immense pleasure and makes me absolutely proud to be a part of this fraternity.”
Part of the next stage of NKP Empire Ventures’ journey entails expansion and a renewed emphasis on agriculture, as part of their ‘Vision 2030.’
“The objective is primarily to make NKP Empire achieve a global footprint, not just in terms of restaurants, but in the form of products as well,” Haq says. “Phase one is looking at adding more outlets both within and outside the state: 25, 30 more outlets in the next three years.
“Phase two is focusing on the agricultural part, wherein our procurement sources come directly from the origin or manufacturer, so that we have better control there.”
Innovative products
In addition, NKP Empire Ventures is exploring the possibility of releasing signature products that can be sold in a ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook format, such as marinades and seasonings.
“It’s a potentially huge and untapped market for a brand like Empire, because we have a story to tell,” Haq explains. “So ‘Vision 2030’ is a growth and building phase, making the brand much stronger and having multiple footprints.
“At the same time, ESG, understanding compliance and making it more environmentally friendly is a priority, as is a new workforce built on strategic core leadership.”
“If you have a great product, then you can focus on the experience.”
While Haq admits that many people may believe they have the skills to open a restaurant, he advises that it’s far from a straightforward journey.
“Once you get into the nitty-gritty of it, it’s not very easy to operate one,” he points out. “Owning and opening is very simple. Operating and sustaining? Very difficult.
“But when you do a people-before-profit and customer-first approach, it does fall into place. Because if you have a great product, then you can focus on the experience. Each visit should be a memorable experience.”
Ultimately, hospitality and, in particular, the values and people-centric mission of NKP Empire Ventures, continue to inspire Haq, even on the toughest of days.
“Whether it’s an employee, a vendor or a customer, we’ve always looked forward to making them happy and making them comfortable,” he says with a smile.
“That is what we’re all about when you say hospitality. It is a very challenging place to be in, but it is even more rewarding.”
