I took the initiative to establish my own hospitality venture during my academic journey, driven by a longstanding aspiration to explore and understand the intricacies of food and hospitality sector. I identified a talented cook with exceptional expertise in preparing North Indian and Tandoor delicacies, whose unparalleled culinary skills became a cornerstone of my venture. Recognizing the potential to leverage his remarkable abilities, I built the menu around his specialties, ensuring that the quality and authenticity of the dishes stood out in a competitive market. This venture was a small-scale outlet specializing in North Indian, Tandoor and Chinese cuisine, primarily operating as a cloud kitchen for online orders. I entirely self-funded the business, which allowed me to gain invaluable hands-on experience in every aspect of setting up and managing a hospitality enterprise.

The results were immediate and gratifying—customers who experienced the flavors became loyal patrons, often returning and recommending the outlet to others. Despite improving slowly with decent sales, I encountered significant challenges and couldn't sustain that ultimately led to the venture's closure mostly because of funding problems. These included high rental costs, a broad and ambitious menu that complicated operations, and intense competition within the online food delivery market. Nevertheless, this venture served as an exceptional learning opportunity, offering me firsthand insight into the unique challenges of the food and hospitality industry.

I managed the entire business from the ground up, including negotiating with coal and meat suppliers for tandoor, maintaining inventory, determining cost structures, designing attractive promotional offers, and ensuring quality control at every stage. This comprehensive exposure not only honed my entrepreneurial skills but also taught me critical lessons in decision-making, market positioning, and operational efficiency—skills that continue to inform my approach to problem-solving and business strategy.