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VRO Hospitality co-founders Dawn Thomas and Safdar Adoor, 32, met at university and were drawn to a mutual fascination with the events and nightlife scene. With little savings, they took a leap of faith and organized their first party in Bangalore, which was a great success.
“This caught the attention of Mr. Sharath, who had deep connections in the industry at the time. He approached us with a partnership proposal. Together we founded a startup, Rice’s Obliquity, and later It was rebranded as SteppinOut.In 2018, Dawn, Sharath and I started working on building VRO Hospitality,” says Adore.
VRO Hospitality is currently the parent company of restaurant brands such as Hangover, Badmaash, Nevermind, Cafe Noir, Tycoons, Los Cavos, Taki Taro, and PlanB & Mirage. VRO Hospitality also acquired his F&B brands such as Café Noir, Plan B and One Night in Bangkok during the pandemic, and also ventured into Cloud His Kitchen brands with Burger & Beyond and Holy Do.
Commenting on the company's performance and 2023 milestones, Thomas said, “We are on track to do well, opening more than 10 stores in the past year alone. It took a long time considering our performance.” The challenges facing the market in the aftermath of the pandemic have proven to be a major hurdle for many restaurant owners. There are several important decisions to make when acquiring a well-known brand in the market. ”
The focus was on breathing new life into them after things had settled down. He added that this approach not only allowed them to navigate the market wisely, but also played a key role in meeting strategic partners today.
The company is preparing to introduce two new Mirages, one each in Mumbai and Pune. Additionally, the co-founders are also eyeing global expansion, with plans to move into dynamic markets such as London and Dubai.
fact sheet
- Name and designation: Safdar Adoor, Co-Founder, VRO Hospitality
- Name and designation: Dawn Thomas, Co-Founder, VRO Hospitality
- Number of co-founders: 3
- Number of employees: 1200 people
- Company establishment year: 2018
