As one of the key partners of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in India and Sri Lanka, Sapphire Foods has announced the opening of its 1,000th outlet in the country.
The newest outlet has come up at the northern suburbs of Chennai, at Gummidipoondi, an expansive Industrial belt bordering Sri City in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.
Sapphire Foods was set up in Sep. 2015, by the acquisition of around 270 Stores of KFC and Pizza Hut in India and Sri Lanka, by a group of leading Private Equity firms and is managed by a team of professionals.
Deepak Taluja, President & CEO, Sapphire Foods said, “This milestone is more than just a number — it’s a reflection of the passion, perseverance, and pride of every Sapphire team member who lives our values of Accountability, Excellence, Empathy, Integrity, and Courage every single day” on his Linkedin post.
“In the nine years I’ve been part of this journey, I’ve seen Sapphire evolve from a bold dream into one of the largest and most admired restaurant companies in the region — powered by people who are truly Indian at heart, globally inspired, and relentlessly driven”, he added.
The company reported revenues of INR 616 Cr for Q2 FY 25-26, a 4.29% increase over the same period last year. The company had added 23 stores during this period, while EBITDA dropped 8% YoY.
Editor’s Note
The company operates over 510 outlets of KFC, 450+ outlets of Pizza Hut and 10 outlets of Taco Bell in India.
According to the company’s recent presentation, 44% of its orders are delivered at doorsteps, while Dine-in (at its premises constitute 34%) and the rest are take-away orders.
Interestingly, the company has almost doubled its number of outlets since Covid-19 led lockdowns while its revenues have grown over 2.5 times during the same period.
From a negative PAT, the company has also significantly turned profitable during this period under the leadership and operational excellence led by Taluja and his team.
Contrast this to China – there are over 12,000 outlets of KFC in the world’s second most populous country, where the brand began its journey in 1987.