Sandhouse Hospitality, owner of the Sandburgs gourmet burger brand based in Delhi-NCR, India, plans a pre-series A funding round in 2024.
Founded by brothers Pankaj and Danny Alagh in 2015, the brand has grown from two to ten outlets, as reported by ETHospitalityWorld.com.
Sandburg's central kitchen in Delhi-NCR is capable of supporting 30 units and is pivotal to its operations. The brand is now considering further growth.
Pankaj Alagh stated that they are in "active conversation with multiple VCs [venture capitalists]" to secure funding for capacity expansion.
The proceeds from the pre-series A round will be channelled into expanding the central kitchen's capacity from its current size to between 12,000ft² and 15,000ft², which could support up to 200 outlets.
Sandburgs co-founder and CEO Danny Alagh said: “We currently have a presence in five cities in north India - Delhi, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Mohali. We are looking at adding 10 to 15 more outlets soon. Our target is to have 50 or 60 outlets in the next four years.”
Alagh has outlined a strategic city-by-city focus for the brand's growth. Starting with densifying its presence in Delhi-NCR with eight to ten more outlets, its expansion targets are major cities in the south and west of India such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune.
The brand positions itself in the premium gourmet burger space.
Alagh added: “All our breads, patties and sauces are prepared in-house and on a daily basis. We are not offering factory food that is frozen for months. Even with our shakes, we do it with premium ice creams, premium milk and fresh fruits. Our coffee is premium Arabica by Blue Tokai for nine years now.”
All ten current outlets are company-owned and operated across three formats: food courts, dine-in and dark kitchens.
The brand plans to add locations at premium malls, on high streets and in premium residential areas.
Alagh added: “We are a chefless model. Everything is done in a central kitchen. Only the assembly and toasting, grilling or frying happen at the outlet. Staff can be trained in a week. We have machines which eliminate chances of error completely.”
