From Butter Chicken to Bangkok: Amit Bagga on Staying Unapologetically Indian
As Daryaganj crosses ₹100 crore in ARR, Co-founder & CEO Amit Bagga reflects on slow growth, hard lessons, & why preserving India’s culinary legacy matters more than rapid expansion.
By : Reshmi AR
Update: 2025-12-26 08:24 GMT
At a time when restaurant brands are racing to scale, Daryaganj has chosen to slow down. In this candid conversation, Amit Bagga, Co-founder & CEO, Daryaganj Hospitality, talks about pausing at ₹100 crore ARR, staying true to India’s food traditions, and why authenticity, not shortcuts, is guiding the brand’s journey from Delhi to the world.
Excerpts:
As Daryaganj crosses ₹100 crore in ARR, how do you balance scaling the brand with preserving a legacy rooted in India’s culinary history?
As we crossed ₹100 crore in ARR, we made a very conscious decision to pause rather than rush ahead. For us, scaling is not just about adding more outlets; instead, it’s about getting the foundation right. This phase has been about consolidating the business, refining our systems, processes, and strengthening our back-end and supply chains so they are robust, consistent, and future-ready.
Reaching this milestone with profitable outlets across markets validates that we are scaling the right way. Strong fundamentals give us the confidence to grow without dilution. At Daryaganj, our legacy is deeply rooted in India’s culinary history, and protecting it demands discipline. By strengthening operations and culture first, we ensure that authenticity, quality, and the soul of the brand remain intact as we expand.
After over 15 years in hospitality, what key unlearning shaped your leadership journey as Co-founder and CEO?
Over 15 years in hospitality, my biggest unlearning has come from disruption, not success. About seven years before starting Daryaganj, I went through a difficult phase where several restaurants were shut or sold. That period forced deep introspection, what worked, what didn’t, and what I needed to unlearn.
The second defining phase was COVID. Despite being an industry-wide crisis, it became a turning point for me as a leader. I used that time to upskill, particularly in data, systems, and structured decision-making. Together, these experiences shaped a more thoughtful, data-driven, and resilient approach to building the business.
With Daryaganj GOLD launching in Bangkok, how does presenting Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani to a global audience change the way you tell their story?
Nothing has changed in the way we tell the story; we have always been presenting it the way we have always wanted to. With Daryaganj GOLD in Bangkok, that clarity and conviction remain the same. We continue to use select ingredients sourced from India, and wherever that isn’t possible, we carefully identify the closest local equivalents to our Indian ingredients.
Our focus has been on maintaining the same authenticity, the same dishes, and the same flavours, without compromise. We are unapologetic about staying true to ourselves
Serving over 2.6 million guests with a 59% repeat rate goes beyond food. What emotional connection keeps diners returning to Daryaganj?
What brings guests back to Daryaganj is our five-senses philosophy, thoughtfully engaging taste, sight, smell, sound, and touch to shape a consistent, immersive experience every time they visit.
Taste is rooted in bold, nostalgic flavours crafted with the finest ingredients. Sight comes alive in our chic contemporary-retro spaces that feel both timeless and familiar. Smell is defined by a signature fragrance blending classic Indian notes with a modern edge. Sound is curated through soulful, unplugged classics reimagined for today, while touch is felt in the textures, materials, and warmth guests experience throughout the space.
Any story or marketing can bring a guest in once, but repeat visits are earned through a consistently great product and an emotionally resonant experience. When all five senses are thoughtfully cared for, the connection goes beyond food, and that’s what brings guests back to Daryaganj
You expanded into the UK, GCC, and Southeast Asia. What global misconceptions about Indian dining are you most keen to change?
Wherever I travel, I see Indian food being compromised globally, something we refuse to adapt to. Across markets, it’s reduced to shortcuts like packaged creams and processed bases that strip it of its depth and integrity
At Daryaganj, we choose the harder path. We cook the original way, using fresh ingredients, time-honoured techniques, and old-style methods that are meticulous but fundamentally superior. We believe in slow cooking and honouring traditional methods, as that is when Indian food reveals its true character.
One of the biggest global misconceptions we want to change is that Indian food is heavy or overly spicy, a view shaped by inauthentic, processed adaptations. As we expand into the UK, GCC, and Southeast Asia, our focus is to showcase real Indian food: thoughtfully cooked, balanced, nuanced, and unapologetically authentic.
From Shark Tank India to institutional investment, how has external validation influenced decision-making and accountability within the brand?
The fact is, we were already profitable and fully capable of growing on our own, even expanding through internal accruals. So the decision to bring in an institutional investor was not driven by the need for capital.
What influenced us was the value of external validation and what the right institutional partner brings beyond money, stronger governance, sharper accountability, and more structured decision-making. Having someone come in who helps set up the right systems and frameworks has made us more disciplined as an organisation. It has reinforced accountability at every level and helped us build the brand with a clearer, long-term lens, without changing the way we operate.