The pandemic brought the industry to innovate up first to stay competitive and alive, literally. IHCL was in the forefront of this endeavour. Qmin was a smart move that stayed on, prospered and has become a strong revenue stream.
Qmin – the gourmet culinary and food delivery platform by IHCL, India’s largest hospitality company, was launched in June 2020 with the aim to address a growing consumer demand for online gourmet food delivery services. Qmin app delivers dishes from the group’s signature restaurants to the comfort of guests’ homes across 25 cities from over 100 IHCL restaurants. Introduction of the innovative concept during the during the peak of pandemic underscores IHCL’s commitment to innovation and the strategic shift it made in the business model.
Keeping up with changing market requirements, Qmin now offers Qmin Comfort, a range of comfort food options; Qmin Subscription meals bringing wholesome home-style meals available on subscription; as well as its latest offer of immunity enhancing menus curated using superfoods – INNERgise. The brand had broadened its scope with new innovations like Qmin Celebrations offering customised menus for virtual weddings and conferences, as well as its lifestyle gourmet stores and food truck.
Qmin Journey
In a recent move Qmin’s offering was introduced in Ginger hotels. Ginger, the reimagined lean luxe brand of IHCL is a true representation of the millennial mindset blending in work and play. Qmin’s vibrant and refreshing experience complements Ginger and is all set to scale with the growing footprint of 87 Ginger hotels across the country. Currently, the 32 Qmin restaurants offer guests a renewed dining experience with vibrant, colourful spaces, comforting bites, global street food and refreshing beverages. An “On the Run” counter is available with ready to pick snacks, for those with a packed schedule.
Yet another format of Qmin, its lifestyle gourmet store Qmin Shop across Mumbai, Delhi & Goa serve a variety of artisanal products, handpicked delicacies, high end retail products and a selection of tea & coffees.
Taking the Qmin experience even closer to the consumers, the brand has launched Qmin food truck – Qmin on Wheels. With an aim to serve local communities such as large neighbourhoods and business districts, the Qmin Food Truck offers comfort foods and delicious small bites all created and dispensed with the highest standards of safety and hygiene. The first of its kind, is operational at Carter Road, Bandra in Mumbai.
Large Scale Catering
Among its multiple formats is – Qmin Celebrations an online and offline offering is one of its kind. Qmin Celebrations is the only offering by a hospitality brand, which has successfully served the same curated menu to over 2000 guests across Indian cities simultaneously, leveraging IHCL’s extensive network of hotels. Qmin is also the only food delivery app where you can organise a complete celebration across the country and features a call back from an expert who will aid in organising menu planning and delivery. The specially curated meals for bulk orders across the country is most popular with both corporate and social clients.
With the introduction of the Qmin Hampers, the app has broadened its scope and reach. Available for delivery Pan India, the hampers are meticulously curated as per the occasion and offer a variety of edible and gifting solutions.
Partnerships
Qmin also forayed into sporting events with the first partnership with Indian Navy for its marquee marathon event, WNC Marathon in Mumbai, catering 16,000 breakfast boxes for the runners. Taking a leap from this partnership, Qmin has partnered with WNC for their second edition this year, Tata Mumbai Marathon, Tata Ultra Marathon, 5 marathons under the TCS Fit for Life banner & Bajaj Allianz Pune Marathon. It continues to grow these partnerships for multiple sporting events pan India.
In the future Qmin will see scale driven by QSR in high footfall areas through franchises at airports, Qmin shops largely at SeleQtions hotels as well as institutional catering through TajSATS kitchens.
Key Differentiators
The strategic move to introduce a culinary platform across online as well as offline formats enabled a tradition food and beverage enterprise to bring enhanced value to its customers by evolving with the market. Shedding its dependency, the company developed alternate sources of revenue in the F&B and created a business vertical distinct from the existing models thereby building in efficiencies. It maintains a dedicated team of delivery riders, guaranteeing comprehensive end-to-end management of both the product and platform. This approach ensures meticulous control over food quality, standardisation, as well as safety and hygiene standards for each order.
Qmin blends convenience, personalisation, and culinary excellence. It resonates with the modern, fast-paced lifestyle of discerning travellers by offering an elevated experience at the intersection of technology and gastronomy.
