Inside India’s Food Arena: Jasper Reid on Scaling Pizza and Taming Burger Economics
In this episode, Jasper Reid reveals how he signed PizzaExpress, Jamie’s Italian, and Wendy’s, why sky-high rents and thin margins demand patient capital, and how data-driven menus beat flashy fusion. Hear his three golden rules for newcomers and what his next “30-item Desi diner” would look like.
Jasper Reid
Founder & CEO, International Market Management
Jasper Reid is a British entrepreneur and Oxford graduate who founded International Market Management Ltd, the London firm that launches consumer brands across Asia. He directs the Indian holding companies for Wendy’s and Jamie’s Italian, and his IMM team has guided PizzaExpress, John Lewis, Busaba Eathai, Whittard of Chelsea and Agent Provocateur abroad. Reid’s India story spans four generations: his grandfather helped build Kolkata’s Dum Dum Airport, his father served with HelpAge India, and his wife’s uncle founded a school in Sikkim. Today his twin daughters have finished school in Delhi and head to university in the UK. He says, we are not really leaving India but moving to the other side of a great, glorious, magic circle.
In this episode of Restrocast, British restaurateur Jasper Reid, Founder & CEO, International Market Management, shares his journey of building global food brands in India’s tough and competitive market. He talks about how he brought Pizza Express to India, beat Reliance to land Jamie Oliver’s brand, and convinced Wendy’s U.S. CEO to launch a ₹29 burger in India.
Reid explains that high rents in India can take up 20% of sales, why menus should be based on data and kept under 30 items, and long-term success comes from patient investment and strong team culture, not flashy food trends. His three key rules for surviving in India’s food business are: do not hesitate, explore the country, and invest wisely. He also hints at his next project. a ₹100 Desi diner focused on process and people.