Ramya Ravi started RNR Donne Biryani from a cloud kitchen in Bengaluru in 2020. The business has crossed a turnover of Rs 8 crore in less than two years.
Ramya and her sister Shweta launched RNR Donne Biryani in November 2020 from a 200 sq ft cloud kitchen in Bengaluru with a Rs 5 million investment, a single cook, and a couple of assistants. Only a year and a half later, RNR has surpassed Rs 8 crore in revenue and is on track to surpass Rs 10 crore by the end of March.
RNR is an abbreviation for Ramaswamy and Ravichandar, the names of their grandfather and father, respectively. Both attempted to market their grandmother’s dish in their restaurants but were unable to do so.
Donne biryani is a mainstay of Karnataka’s culinary tradition, however it is not as well recognised as other types of biryani found around the country.
“We opened our first restaurant in Naagarabhaavi. It was a time when eateries were unable to open owing to Covid limitations, and many were forced to close throughout the city. RNR, on the other hand, was founded on its flagship product. Their takeaway biryani comes in a blue tin box and is served with dessert, raitha, and salad. It’s our distinct selling point,” Ramya says.
“In addition to biryani, they sold innovative meals like drumstick-chili appetisers, which proved popular.
Ramya has partnered with Swiggy as its delivery partner. Other famous foods are mutton bone strong spicy soup, chicken ghee roast as an appetiser, and elaneeru payasam or coconut payasam as a dessert.
Vegetarian and chicken biryani range in price from Rs.189 to Rs.289, while mutton biryani costs Rs.320. Ramya comes from a restaurant-owning family, so she was well aware of the industry’s devastation during the Covid lockdown in 2020 Simultaneously, she saw an opportunity for a food delivery service as individuals began to order food from the comfort of their own homes.
If we were available on all platforms, we would have to invest a lot of money to be seen on all of them. It made more sense to collaborate with Swiggy because they would promote us “Ramya explains.
“They provided excellent visibility.
However, we made a pledge to open a certain number of kitchens. She also argues that she may not have lost much exposure because “70 percent of Zomato and Swiggy users are the same.” This in-depth knowledge of the sector has enabled her to solidify and build her brand swiftly in a short period of time.
Ramya also used social media to market her company and generate interest in RNR Donne Biryani. They shared images and videos on Facebook, reaching millions of people. Some of them received over 60k to 70k views “Ramya believes that social media may assist small enterprises build a buzz in the market.
She claims she spent Rs 1.5 lakh on social media marketing alone in the first three months. People began to discuss about RNR Donne Biryani. RNR Biryani made a stir on social media, with celebrities mentioning the brand.
Celebrities, like Kannada actors Manvitha and Nishvika, have acknowledged the brand, increasing its visibility.
Ramya recalls warmly their first day on Swiggy. The product has done exceedingly well, earning it the title of Bengaluru’s most popular biryani.”
In October of last year, Ramya inaugurated RNR Biryani’s first dine-in restaurant in Jayanagar. RNR received 10,000 orders in the first month, and Swiggy named them the best new brand in 2020. RNR Biryani began with a single kitchen in Naagarabhaavi and has since expanded to 14 cloud kitchens in Bengaluru.
Ramya was born and raised in Bengaluru, and she has always wanted to be a business owner. She interned for Landmark Group, a retail firm, during her college years and attended Harvard for a three-month management course after graduation. She then returned to Bengaluru for a six-month stint at the Park Plaza hotel. Later, she joined her father, Dr. R Ravichandar, and helped him manage the family’s hotel and restaurant business’s finances.
“I was more of a bystander. My sister was more active in the business than I was. But I got expertise by working with my father,” adds Ramya, who has made her family proud with her first business venture.
Customers dine at RNR Biryani’s Jayanagar location. “The term RNR is a nod to them.” It was their goal, and I made it a reality,” says Ramya, who now works with a team of 60 people. Ramya enjoys discovering new locations, travelling, and dining out.
She is a Bharatnatyam dancer with a passion for fitness. “I enjoy cycling and going to the gym,” Ramya, who is married to Chandu, a retail worker, says.
For the time being, she is entirely focused on building her business throughout South India, with the ultimate objective of making RNR Donne Biryani a pan-India brand.
