News report on tie up with HPCL

Hospitality group Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd has tied up with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for retail space at the latter’s petrol pumps spanning across highways and cities for its new restaurant chain called Vithal Kamat vegetarian restaurant. “We have formed a joint venture with them. They will give us retail space at their petrol pumps,” said Vithal Kamat, current executive chairman and managing director, Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd.

Kamat group has already opened 22 such outlets at HPCL pumps and plans to open another 40 with HPCL. “In total, we plan to have 100 Vithal Kamat restaurants,” he added.

The group is also looking at taking its restaurant chain to malls. “We have been approached by people for tie-ups,” he said, adding that the group will look at all models including lease, franchisee, rent and management.

Kamat said that the group would also look at tying up with 1,000 square feet restaurants with location and footfall as the main parameters. VITS, the recently launched luxury business hotels chain by the group, will home Vithal Kamat restaurant. “All VITS will have the Vithal Kamat restaurant,” he said.

Kamat group is also looking at acquiring hotels. Asked if the group has identified any, Kamat said, “We don’t acquire anything and everything. We have been approached by at least 40 hoteliers.” He added that these hotels will be 80-120 rooms four-star luxury hotels and ones that fit in our existing portfolio.

You may be onto something here, today CITIgroup bought 2.48 lakhs shares of Kamat at 178

Kamat Hotels management is capable. It should grow well with the industry.

Kamats are Saraswat Brahmins from the Konkan region who trace their origins to Goa before they were dispersed by the Portuguese.

Most of them migrated to Karnataka or rather Udupi via Karwar then a Portuguese possession. For some reason, the Kamats who migrated embraced vegetarianism probably because they had to serve the rich Brahmins though the Saraswats of Goa are neither vegetarians nor do they consider it worth their dignity to run restaurants.

So the first Udupi restaurants that moved out of Udupi were in Mumbai and Vithal Kamat's father was one of the pioneers. Legend has it that the elder Kamat worked as a waiter at the Udupi restaurant in Matunga in Central Mumbai before he set up the first Udupi restaurant opposite Churchgate railway station with his wife's jewellery as capital.

The old man then got pally with Ramnath Goenka who was building the Express building outside Churchgate. The hugely successful successful Satkar still exists but is run by other branches of Vithal Kamat's family.

So those who are aware of Vithal Kamat's restaurants know the man is deeply committed to his business. Of course, he knows how to milk every ounce of publicity possible while he schmoozes with the politicos of Maharashtra.

But then the guy is building a deep moat around his business!