From vaccines to biryani & kebabs - Khalil Ahmed buys Hyderabad House

Khalil Ahmed, the former promoter partner and executive director of vaccine company Shantha Biotechnics (now owned by Sanofi), has now acquired Hyderabad House, a brand known for its biryani and kebab outlets. Speaking to Business Today, Ahmed said Hyderabad House, which had to scale down largely because of management challenges, will now also shut down its remaining outlets "as we are re-engineering and restarting the operations".

Ahmed and his daughter Sumaiya Khalil have set up Food Krafters & Services LLP (FKS) "as a special purpose vehicle to foray and channelize the Ahmed plans to invest Rs 35 crore over the next two years to set up 50 outlets of Hyderabad House across the country.

FKS, he says, intends to rebrand Hyderabad House with an all-new design, with a view to provide traditional culinary experience in a semi-QSR format. It will also bring on board a fresh team of expert chefs and traditional master chefs with rich and varied experience.

"The deal would help Food Krafters establish a firm foothold in the food retail industry. Hyderabad House fits well in our scheme of things and we intend to grow and expand using this brand name," says Ahmed.

The company is to soon open a flagship outlet in Hyderabad, before rolling out its 50 outlets through a combination of company-owned and franchisee route. A central commissary will be set up at each regional hub, which will cater to the outlets in that territory.