Delhi’s one of oldest names in Pan Asian restaurants (much before Pan Asian became the next fab thing) Berco’s has something new to offer. NAO By Berco's is a new restaurant in Greater Kailash-2 serving Pan Asian cuisine and despite the fact that the restaurant has been opened in collaboration with Berco's, the menu is nothing like that of the popular NCR chain.

Backed by the legacy and leadership of Kabir Advani, Managing Partner at Berco’s, NAO (Next Asian Outing) has been created as a neighborhood bistro with an aim to offer a fun and chic Pan-Asian experience. “Based on our past experience and the evolving expectations of our guests, we have created our menu to include a wide range of in-house sauces and overseas-produced meats,” shared Amul Kapoor, Co-founder of NAO - Asian Bistro & Bar.

But with multiple pan-Asian offerings across the vicinity, what will make NAO stand out among its competitors? When asked, Advani reverted that NAO will garner the instant trust of the guests as it's backed by the legendary brand Berco's which has a legacy of more than 40 years of serving guests Pan India. 

Further, the ambiance of the place has a fun and chic vibe which gets reflected in the decor comprising of unique hand paintings and the usage of bold colors. Additionally at NAO guests can experience some really interesting fusion recipes like Asian Chilli Burrata, Thai Avocado Salad & Stone Bowls, etc. Lastly, to elevate the experience even further, it will soon start serving exquisite cocktails to complement the sumptuous food.

Similar to Berco’s business model, NAO plans to grow systematically and expand to multiple locations in order to become a household name just like Berco's. The goal for the next few years is to expand NAO across Delhi and NCR and other prospective cities like Mumbai, Goa, and Bangalore.

Berco’s expands through the franchise model with people who own the property. The chain has a dedicated team that conducts training sessions on a continuous basis and has certain standards that are supposed to be met. Berco’s also has an in-house audit team, and along with their feedback, they take collective measures accordingly. The brand prefers to have standalone restaurants above the mall location. 

According to Kapoor, in today's travel-centric world, guests are curious about trying new cuisines, and they are eager to experiment with fusion dishes. A higher standard of living has led to a societal change in dining out more frequently, and post-pandemic revenge travel and dining have contributed to the industry's growth.

Kapoor further informed that there has been a complete revival of dine-ins, in fact with more force since the pandemic reiterated the importance of independence, socializing, and celebrating life. “In addition, we have seen an increase in ordering food online to save time, and aggregators have made it easy for us to access all of the well-known and new names with the best offers and services. NAO will definitely hope to ride the wave of gourmet food ordering and we envision reaching every household looking for a fun and premium home dining experience,” he further said indicating that NAO’s focus will be on dine-in and delivery both to drive-in the business. 

However, opening a restaurant or a new brand post-pandemic has become a totally new ball game altogether. Running a restaurant post-pandemic comes with its own set of challenges. “As real estate prices rise in metros, space design and utilization play an increasingly important role. Furthermore, menu engineering is crucial to reducing wastage and improving kitchen efficiency. Precise menus with standardized recipes assist in this process,” Kapoor shared.

One of the most prominent results of these challenges is new restaurants are opting for small-format stores now which is turning out to be a huge success.