Nirula's

2021-08-31T16:44:58Z

2405:201:4013:80F3:E075:7DD:66B:1FB2: Undid revision 1041552912 by 2001:FD0:200:400:0:0:0:2 (talk)

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Nirula's
| logo =
| logo_size = 170px
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| genre =
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1934|mf=y}}
| founder = LC Nirula<br>M Nirula
| defunct =
| location_city = [[Delhi]]
| location_country = [[India]]
| location =
| locations = 71
| area_served = [[North India]] (focus: [[NCR Delhi]])
| key_people = Sumant Bhargava<small>([[CEO]] & Director)</small>
| industry = Quick Serve Restaurants
| products = [[Fast food]], [[Indian cuisine]], [[ice cream]], [[pastry]]
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| aum =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner = Coldsmiths Retail Services Private Limited
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| homepage = {{url|nirulas.com}}
| footnotes =
| intl =
}}

'''Nirula's''' is [[India]]'s oldest [[Fast food restaurant|fast food]] [[restaurant chain]].<ref name=pa/><ref name=in/> Based in [[North India]] and most popular in the [[National Capital Region (India)|NCR]] [[Delhi]], it was Delhi's first [[fast food]] restaurant, opening in [[Connaught Place, New Delhi|Connaught Place]] in 1977. Today it has over 70 outlets in NCR Delhi, [[Haryana]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], and [[Uttar Pradesh]] states, offering a "[[Desi]]" version of Western [[fast food]] items.<br /> Nirula's success has led them to branch out into other ventures which include, ‘Potpourri’, an [[Indian cuisine]], [[casual dining]] restaurant chain; ‘Nirula's 21’, ice cream parlour chain, in addition to pastry shops and two hotels in [[Noida]] and [[Panipat]].<ref name=ft>{{cite news |title=Fast food: Attention to local palates pays off |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9e877ef0-0acf-11df-b35f-00144feabdc0.html |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=28 January 2010|quote="Popular Indian restaurants such as Nirula’s and Sagar Ratna, which specialises in south Indian food, are also expanding, with 60 to 70 locations each." }}</ref><ref name=mb>{{cite news |title=Battle of Burgers: Nirula's set to take on McDonald's|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/battle-of-burgers-nirulas-set-to-take-on-mcdonalds/62625-19.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006062823/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/battle-of-burgers-nirulas-set-to-take-on-mcdonalds/62625-19.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 October 2012 |publisher=[[CNN IBN]] |date=4 April 2008 }}</ref> Recently Nirula's opened its first franchise in [[Patna]], their first outlet in the entire east zone.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nirula's opens outlet in Patna|agency=(Press Trust of India)|date=23 October 2012|publication-place=Patna|publisher=Business Standard Ltd|url=http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/nirulas-opens-outlet-in-patna/71684}}</ref>

==History==
The chain traces its origins to "Hotel India",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nirulas.com/Aboutus.aspx|title=Know Nirula's|publisher=Nirula's Corner House Pvt. Ltd.|access-date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022111304/http://www.nirulas.com/Aboutus.aspx|archive-date=22 October 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> which opened at the L-Block in [[Connaught Place, New Delhi|Connaught Place (CP), New Delhi]] in 1934, by "Nirula Brothers", L.C. and M. Nirula; it had 12 rooms, a restaurant and a bar.<ref>{{cite news|title=‘Lodged’ in the heart of New Delhi|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lodged-in-the-heart-of-New-Delhi/Article1-739801.aspx|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=30 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831115356/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lodged-in-the-heart-of-New-Delhi/Article1-739801.aspx|archive-date=31 August 2011}}</ref> In 1940, on request of the Indian Coffee Board, they opened the Indian Coffee Shop on Queensway (now [[Janpath]]) introducing [[espresso]] coffee, which became an instant success. Soon afterwards they launched two theme restaurants —‘La {{Not a typo|Boheme}}’, a Hungarian restaurant; and ‘Gufa’, an Indian restaurant.<ref name=pa>{{cite book |title=Successful Tourism: Volume II: Tourism Practices|last=Seth|first=Pran Nath |author2=Sushma S. Bhat |year=2006|publisher=Sterling Publishers|isbn=81-207-3200-6|page= 285|chapter= Nirula's: India's First Restaurant chain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vs4GM5e-0c8C&pg=PA285&dq=Nirula%27s&cd=3#v=onepage&q=Nirula%27s&f=false }}</ref><ref name=del/> In the 1950s, the 'Chinese Room' was opened, the oldest Chinese restaurant in Delhi. It is still on its original premises.

The 1970s saw Nirula's venturing into the [[fast food]] business with the opening of what became Delhi's first [[fast food]] restaurant in 1977,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Bhushan|first=Ratna|title=Nirula's CEO bets on new market to turn around business|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/food/nirulas-ceo-bets-on-new-market-to-turn-around-business/articleshow/17343038.cms#:~:text=LONG%20HISTORY-,Started%20in%201934%20by%20brothers%20LC%20Nirula%20and%20M%20Nirula,years%20before%20Chadha%20bought%20it.|access-date=2020-10-02}}</ref> to which was later added: a pastry shop, snack bar, hot shoppe, and an ice cream parlour. A subsequent addition was the adjacent, waiter-served "Potpourri" [[salad bar]]. By that time Nirula's was already a CP landmark, offering Western [[fast food]] such as burgers, pizzas, and [[Submarine sandwich|submarines]], plus an ice cream parlour offering 21 flavours.<ref name=ac>{{cite news |title=Nirula's goes partly Malaysian|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nirulas-goes-partly-malaysian/14400-3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007052129/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nirulas-goes-partly-malaysian/14400-3.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 October 2012 |publisher=[[CNN IBN]]|date=1 July 2006}}</ref>

[[File:Nirulas kathi roll meal onboard IndiGo airline.jpg|right|thumb|Nirula's ''[[Kati roll|kathi roll]]'' meal on an [[IndiGo]] flight]]
Expansion of the fast food business continued in the next two decades, with the opening of the ‘Central Kitchen’ and at the Chanakya cinema complex, [[Chanakyapuri]], [[Defence Colony]], [[Noida]], [[Vasant Vihar]], and various other locations in the [[National Capital Region (India)|NCR]].<ref name=abt>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nirulas.com/about-us.html |title=About us |access-date=20 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206193401/http://www.nirulas.com/about-us.html |archive-date=6 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Before the arrival of several international restaurant chains in the 1990s, Nirula's remained a major draw for young people in the capital. In the following years, even after chains like [[McDonald's]] made inroads into its share, Nirula's retained 40 per cent of the Delhi market in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Purani Dilli food: Nothing exclusive about it |url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/232939/Purani-Dilli-food-Nothing-exclusive-about-it.html |publisher=[[The Pioneer (Indian newspaper)|The Pioneer]] |date=1 February 2010 }}</ref><ref name=new/> Even then, facing stiff competition from Nirula's, McDonald's had to "Indianise" its menu to suit Indian palates, while on its end, Nirula's added competitive pricing and revamped its interiors.<ref name=ft/><ref name=mb/><ref>{{cite book |title=Harvard Business Review on corporate strategy (Harvard Business Review)|last=Collis |first=David J. |author2=Cynthia A. Montgomery |author3=Michael Goold |year=1999 |publisher=Harvard Business Press|isbn=1-57851-142-9|page=102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UxIgwgAGrS4C&pg=PA102&dq=Nirula%27s&lr=&cd=19#v=onepage&q=Nirula%27s&f=false }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=And the winner is... butter chicken! |url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fe/daily/20001009/fle08011.html |newspaper=[[Indian Express]] |date=9 October 2000 }}</ref>

To diversify its business, the group opened hotels, one in Noida and another in [[Panipat]], and set up food processing plants in [[Noida]], near Delhi.{{Citation needed|reason=no reference provided to the entire paragraph|date=July 2012}}

Nirula's was also the first Western-style fast food restaurant in [[Kathmandu]], [[Nepal]], where it had two outlets, the main branch in [[Durbar Marg]] —where there currently is a [[Kentucky Fried Chicken|KFC]] and a [[Pizza Hut]] on top, and a smaller branch on New Road. The best selling items were pizzas and ice cream. While both were already available in Kathmandu, they were offered at premium restaurants as gourmet versions and not as fast food.{{Citation needed|reason=no reference provided to the entire paragraph|date=July 2012}}

Through the 1990s Nirula's faced heated competition from local and international fast food outlets and by 1995 there was only one Nirula's left in the city. The quality also went down and it soon closed its doors for good.{{Citation needed|reason=no reference provided to the entire paragraph|date=July 2012}}

While Kathmandu is now teeming with fast food outlets, many still reminiscence about Nirula's as the place that they had their first pizza in. Their most popular pizza was the [[salami]] pizza, also their cheapest meat pizza.{{citation needed|reason=cheapest in comparison to what ?|date=July 2012}}

== Acquisition ==
[[File:Nirulas express outlet at Delhi Airport.jpg|220px|thumb|Nirula's express outlet at [[Delhi Airport]].]]

In 2006, Navis Capital Partners bought Nirula's.<ref name=":0" /> In 2007, the original Connaught Place outlet moved to K-Block, Connaught Place, while the adjacent Potpourri moved to N block, Outer Circle.<ref name=del>{{cite news |title=CP landmark Nirula's may soon be history|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1197441.cms |newspaper=[[Times of India]] |date=11 August 2005 |first1=Bhadra |last1=Sinha}}</ref><ref name=new>{{cite news |title=Good old landmark is back in Connaught Place |url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/02/stories/2007030214680200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304161911/http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/02/stories/2007030214680200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 March 2008 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=2 March 2007 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Also in 2007, Nirula's opened India first ice cream museum inside its ice cream factory in [[Noida]].<ref name=in>{{cite news |title=Nirula's gives India its first ice cream museum|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nirulas-gives-india-its-first-ice-cream-museum/52294-3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101093956/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nirulas-gives-india-its-first-ice-cream-museum/52294-3.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 January 2010 |publisher=[[CNN IBN]]|date=14 November 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A museum to tell ice cream story|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_a-museum-to-tell-ice-cream-story_1133178 |newspaper=[[DNA (newspaper)|DNA]]|date=14 November 2007 }}</ref> In the same year, the chain introduced three new outlet formats, including "Nirula's Express", Food Court Unit and Ice-Cream Kiosks, with the first Express outlet opening at the [[Delhi Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nirula's to change outlet formats|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/01/23/stories/2007012302712300.htm |newspaper=[[Business Line]] |date=23 Jan 2007 }}</ref>

In 2012, Navis "agreed to sell its 100% stake in Nirula's Group," to A2Z Excursions Pvt. Ltd for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ng|first=Jason|date=2012-07-20|title=Navis Capital to Sell 100% Stake in Nirula's Group to A2Z Excursions|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/DJFLBO0020120720e87kb6ngo|access-date=2020-10-02|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

Today the chain has outlets across [[North India]], in [[Dehradun]], [[Indore]], [[Meerut]], [[Mussoorie]], [[Panipat]], [[Pathankot]], and [[Udaipur]].<ref name=abt/><ref>{{cite news |title=Nirula's to add 140 new outlets by 2010 |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200808271863.htm |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=27 August 2008 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

== Famous Food Items ==
* Hot Chocolate Fudge Sundae
* Chilli Chicken Pizza
* Banana Split
* Pineapple Ice Cream Soda
* Chicken Curry with Naan
* Cakes and Pastries

==Locations==
* [[Bihar]]: ''[[Patna]]''
* [[Delhi]]: ''[[Connaught Place, New Delhi|Connaught Place]], [[Greater Kailash#Greater Kailash Part 2|Greater Kailash Part II]], [[Karol Bagh]], [[New Friends Colony]], [[Preet Vihar]], [[Punjabi Bagh]], [[Paschim vihar]], [[Vasant Kunj]], [[Vasant Vihar]], Bhikaji Cama Place''
* [[Haryana]]: ''[[Faridabad]], [[Gurgaon]], [[Panipat]]''
* [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]: ''[[Ludhiana]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://shop.nirulas.com/outlet-locator.php?action=locator&sign=locator |title=Locator |access-date=20 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301182758/http://shop.nirulas.com/outlet-locator.php?action=locator&sign=locator |archive-date=1 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Pathankot]]''
* [[Uttar Pradesh]]: ''[[Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh|Ghaziabad]], [[Meerut]], [[Noida]]''
* [[Uttarakhand]]: ''[[Mussoorie]], [[Dehradun]]''

==Restaurant formats==
* Nirula's 'Family-style' outlets: [[Quick service restaurant|Quick service]] with take-away, home delivery and online ordering
* Nirula's Express: [[Take away]]-only
* Fuel Station Outlets.
* Potpourri: Fully [[Waiting staff|waiter]] served, multi-cuisine restaurant chain
* Nirula's 21: Ice cream parlours
* Pegasus bar

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nirulas.com/ Nirula's official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120512013311/http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Nirulas+keeps+up+with+changing+palate&artid=GTuoZ6kFzEE= Nirula's keeps up with changing palate]

[[Category:Indian restaurants]]
[[Category:Restaurants in Delhi]]
[[Category:Restaurants in India]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies based in Delhi]]
[[Category:Fast-food franchises]]
[[Category:Fast-food chains of India]]
[[Category:Ice cream parlors]]
[[Category:Catering and food service companies of India]]
[[Category:Restaurants established in 1934]]

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