Work in the direction of establishing a "startup economy" is being successfully continued in Azerbaijan. The government's comprehensive support for innovative initiatives is the main reason for the successful implementation of startup projects implemented in the country.
Startup projects covering various sectors of the economy are also being applied in the catering sector. The restaurant management platform, which was given a "Startup certificate" by the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of "Food Lab" LLC, enables local entrepreneurs working in the catering sector to expand their business. Thanks to the support provided by the project, entrepreneurs can expand their business within the country and abroad without making any investment.
According to the head of the startup project, Gadim Valiyev, he became very interested in this field when he worked at "Bolt Food" company, where he worked for nearly 4 years in Azerbaijan. After becoming more familiar with the business model of the "Cook Room" (dining room) of the company he worked in Kazakhstan, he thought about creating a "smart kitchen" (or "virtual kitchen"): "I thought that the "smart kitchens" operating in some countries of the world are Azerbaijan. adapt it to the model and apply it here, and then take it out of the country."
The startup said that "Food Lab" has created a "smart kitchen" for the first time in Azerbaijan, which includes a network of multi-brand restaurants. The main goal of the project is to support local entrepreneurs, ensure the operation of local restaurants inside and outside the country and help them grow through the franchise model: "We work based on the information we get from technology companies. For example, according to the information, there is a high demand for product "x" at "x" point of the city. Based on this, we are talking with restaurants that fit this concept and ensure its operation based on the franchise model. Another advantage is that we are able to operate 2-3 restaurants at the same time from one kitchen. We support entrepreneurs who do not have the financial resources to grow their restaurants. An entrepreneur can open his brand in different places in Azerbaijan through the franchising model without making any investment. Currently, the first "smart kitchen" is operating in the country, but work is being done to open such a kitchen."
G. Valiyev added that "smart" or "virtual kitchens" prepare food and deal with their "outdoor sales" and online sales. There are no places for customers to sit here. In "smart kitchens", restaurants do not present their full menu. Restaurants operate here, in a way, express. In these kitchens, the best-selling products of restaurants are presented to customers. It is planned to create 10-15 "smart" or "virtual kitchens" in Azerbaijan. After achieving this, the creation of such kitchens in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Romania was defined as a goal: "We want to ensure the access of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs to these countries. For example, this field is very developed in Kazakhstan. There are quite a number of restaurants of this type in containers in dense areas of Almaty city, there are many take-out and delivery restaurants. This is actually a market with great potential. We want to bring local businesses to this sector. Azerbaijan's well-known fast-food "We want to bring and expand our restaurants through franchising to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc. I believe that we can support the growth of fast-food restaurants and their expansion outside of Azerbaijan."
According to the startup, they plan to create such a restaurant in Kazakhstan at the initial stage. If things go according to plan, it is planned to open Azerbaijani restaurants in that country within the next 4-5 months. Currently, technical issues are being discussed with partners, and a location has been chosen for the implementation of the project.
G. Valiyev emphasized that they plan to combine 2-3 restaurant brands in each "smart kitchen". This means that on average 30-40 restaurant brands are gathered together. At least 5-6 people are expected to work in each kitchen. As the number of restaurant brands represented in "smart" or "virtual kitchens" increases, so will the number of employees. If 15 "smart" or "virtual kitchens" are built under the project, a total of 90 new jobs related to the kitchen will be created in Azerbaijan. It is planned to further increase the number of employees in the future.
One of the next goals of MMC is to develop a mobile application and to achieve orders through this application. At the same time, negotiations are underway with financial institutions for the implementation of "buy, take" orders through "self order" and promotional campaigns for customers to order by card.
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