New Delhi. Success never comes suddenly. To achieve this, struggle, courage, ability to stand amidst defeat and unwavering faith in oneself are required. He who perseveres will definitely achieve his destination. Vibhanshu Mishra is a living example of this. Mishra, who wanted to make a career in hotel management, had to clean bathrooms for an entire month during his internship. When he left his job and started his business, the country went into lockdown just ten days later. When they gathered courage and started working again, the second wave of Corona again got their food counters locked. As a result, they drowned in debt. But, he still did not let his mother’s dream of becoming a successful hotelier die and, battling all the circumstances, built a company worth Rs 120 crores.
Today, Vibhanshu’s food company, VVM Restaurant Consultants, has more than 250 outlets across India and has also started operations in Canada. The group, which has an annual turnover of hundreds of crores, includes popular brands like Chalu Chinese, “VV Burger” and “Banaras Wala”. Their business is spread in many states including Delhi NCr, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and UP. “Banaras Wala”, opened in memory of his mother, proved to be the most emotional achievement of his life. On the inauguration day, his father hugged him after 35 years. Vibhanshu says that at that moment his entire journey was completed.
Got only 49 percent marks in seventh class
Vibhanshu’s father was the vice-principal of a renowned school. He wanted his son to top the class. But Vibhanshu was an average student. His marksheet was probably weaker than his intentions. He got only 49% marks in seventh class. This created distance between father and son. In childhood, he was his mother’s favorite. A boy living in his neighborhood had done a hotel management course and went to South Africa. His mother was very impressed with him and asked Vibhanshu to make hotel management his career.
He did not get along well with his father and Vibhanshu’s mother died before his 12th examination. This shock was so severe that he failed in 12th and later somehow passed the supplementary with 42% marks. But his mother’s dream—”to do hotel management”—was imprinted in his heart forever.
topped the batch
He changed the direction of his life as soon as he started studying hotel management. In the very first year, he topped the entire batch—that too with an impressive 94.2% marks. During this time he got training at ITC Darjeeling. There he got the job of cleaning washrooms for a whole month in the name of training. In return for this work he got Rs 500.
job in bahrain
After completing his studies, he started working at Pride Hotel in Nagpur. Then, through a friend, he got a job opportunity in Bahrain, where he worked in a small food section. He was a vegetarian, yet to get promotion he learned to serve chicken and other non-veg items. His dedication and work style soon earned him a promotion and a raise of 50 dinars (about Rs 15,000). After this the doors of his career started opening to the world. Later he also worked in Dubai, America and Canada.
Father got cancer and returned to India
Everything was going well. But, suddenly Vibhanshu’s father got cancer. He had to return to India. When his father regained consciousness after the operation, he said only one thing – “You are my son, stay here. Don’t go anywhere.” This one sentence became the turning point of Vibhanshu’s life. He left his foreign job and decided to stay in India forever.
After returning to India, he first worked in Goa, then became a senior general manager in a big food and beverage company of the country. Here he developed a deep understanding of branding, marketing, operations and business management. After a year, the thought came to his mind that when he can create a brand for others then why not his own.
First outlet opened in Nagpur
On 14 February 2020, he left his job and registered his company VVM Restaurant Consultants. Opened the first outlet of “Chalu Chinese” in Nagpur on 10 March 2020. But fate again gave a blow and after 10 days Corona lockdown was imposed in the entire country. The shop remained closed for months. Started again in July 2020 and the business started growing, albeit at a slow pace. Second outlet opened in December 2020. Then started work in Raipur and Bharuch also.
It was not easy. By July 2021, he was in debt of about Rs 1.5 crore. But they did not stop. He changed his strategy. Lower prices, increase popular items, and innovate by understanding customer preferences. And then a miracle happened. In just six months between July and December 2021, he opened 13 new outlets. This was like a record in the food industry. Today his company has a turnover of hundreds of crores.
