About this episode

Scott Wilson interviews Sukhi and Joanna, co-founders of Little India, about their journey from a dairy shop to a successful restaurant franchise in New Zealand.

They started selling lamb curry out of a Diary shop in Dunedin. Thirty-five years later, Little India is one of New Zealand's most-loved restaurant brands. In this Marketing 4 Business episode , Scott chats with Sukhi and Joanna, co-founders of Little India , about what it really takes to build a hospitality brand people return to for generations - from a tiny dairy in Ravensbourne to a franchise network that has changed the lives of staff, families, and loyal customers across New Zealand. This is one of those conversations where you keep pulling out the notepad. Sukhi and Joanna share lessons you can put to work straight away, including: How listening to customer feedback saved the business The rule they have never broken: no fusion, no shortcuts, the same food every time - and why a confused menu is a losing one How the franchise started not from a strategy document, but a determination to keep their best people Why they financed their own staff into franchise ownership - and what happened to the business once those people had skin in the game The charcoal tandoor Sukhi had custom-made by a potter in Cromwell because there was no other way to get the flavour right What Sukhi…

People in this episode

Host: Scott Wilson

Guests: Sukhi, Joanna

Topics covered

• hospitality
• franchising
• customer feedback
• restaurant branding
• business strategy

Keywords

• Little India
• franchise
• hospitality brand
• customer feedback
• restaurant management
• business lessons
• New Zealand

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Little India

Places: Dunedin, Ravensbourne, New Zealand, Cromwell

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