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The IUP Journal of Case Folio

Britannia & Company Restaurant: Will the Legacy Come to an End?

Article Details

Pub. Date	: Sep' 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of Case Folio
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJCF050922
Author Name	: Joyee Chatterjee
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Management
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 14

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Abstract

The case presents the story of Britannia & Company, a popular restaurant in Mumbai since pre-independence era. It provides information about the origin of the restaurant, its history and its current position. The restaurant had been operating in a commercial hub of the financial capital of India for the past 99 years. However, it was operating on a leased space which was terminated recently. The owner faced a dilemma on the way forward for the restaurant: whether it needed to be relocated or whether they should continue at the same place. Relocation would mean losing the legacy of the brand. Another key reason for the popularity of the restaurant was Boman Kohinoor, the late father of the current owner Afshin Kohinoor. His interactions and engagement with his customers had made him extremely popular. Boman used to narrate stories about the restaurant, crack jokes and interact with the customers. He used to carry a folder with laminated and some photocopied dog-eared documents. It included a letter from Queen Elizabeth. The restaurant also gained a lot of visibility in 2016 during Prince William and Kate Middleton's visit to India. The death of Boman Kohinoor had left a void. The restaurant was situated in the southern part of Mumbai where many of its competitors had also been operating since pre-independence era such as Kyani & Co., Cafe Military, Ideal Corner, Jimmy Boy, Cafe' Universal, Cafe' Excelsior, etc. Britannia & Company did not have any air-conditioning; the restaurant was adorned with imported Polish teak wood furniture and the wall color was green; but the paint peeled off in multiple areas. Since it was one of the oldest restaurants serving Parsi cuisine in the city of Mumbai, the restaurant was also visited by foreigners traveling to Mumbai and by celebrities.

Introduction

It was a Monday Morning. Afshin Kohinoor (henceforth Afshin) sat at the cashier's desk at his restaurant 'The Britannia & Company' and looked at the dilapidated condition of the space. One of the oldest and famous restaurants in South Mumbai, the restaurant was well known among locals and tourists for the lip-smacking Parsi Cuisine it served. Afshin remembered that the lease of the restaurant had recently got over; it was a 99-year-old lease which allowed the restaurant to pay lowest rent. Considering that South Bombay, and particularly Ballard Estate, is one of the most uptown locations in the entire city, a new agreement with new interest rate might push them out of business. The restaurant was established in the year 1920, in the Wakefield House, which was a commercial hub in the 1900s and in the current times

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