In this episode of Magazine St. Kitchen x Australian Macadamia Society presents Speak Greasy with Gauri Devidayal, we sit down with Abhishek Honawar, founder of the Honar Group, for a deeply insightful conversation on hospitality, boutique hotels, restaurants, luxury experiences, entrepreneurship, and building brands with emotional depth.

Known for creating some of India’s most distinctive hospitality spaces across Mumbai and Jaipur, Abhishek opens up about his journey from launching neighbourhood favourites like Woodside Inn to building immersive luxury properties such as 28 Kothi and The Johri. The conversation explores what it truly means to create experiences that people emotionally connect with rather than simply consume.

From moving to New York on instinct and rediscovering his Indian identity abroad, to embracing the energy and chaos of Jaipur’s bazaars, Abhishek shares how travel, culture, and emotion shaped his philosophy towards hotels, restaurants, and modern hospitality. He speaks candidly about building businesses rooted in feeling instead of purely financial ambition, and why timeless hospitality comes down to relevance, trust, intentionality, and emotional connection.

Through the episode, Gauri and Abhishek discuss boutique hotels in India, experiential travel, Indian culture, restaurant entrepreneurship, luxury hospitality, hotel design, guest experience, hospitality trends, and the future of Indian luxury. They also explore the realities of staying relevant across generations, building culturally immersive spaces, and creating brands that continue to resonate years after launch.

One of the standout moments of the conversation focuses on The Johri in Jaipur and the idea of “cultural luxury”. Abhishek explains why true hospitality is not about perfection or isolation from reality, but about embracing the environment around you and transforming it into something emotionally meaningful. From fragrance and lighting to music, textures, temperature, and service, he reveals how every detail contributes to shaping memorable guest experiences.

The episode also dives into the emotional labour behind hospitality entrepreneurship, the importance of collaborations built on trust, and why hospitality cannot simply be manufactured through money, expensive interiors, or trends. Instead, Abhishek explains why authenticity, consistency, and emotional intention are what truly create timeless brands.

Whether you are a hotelier, restaurateur, entrepreneur, designer, traveller, or simply fascinated by hospitality and luxury experiences, this episode offers valuable insights into storytelling through spaces, thoughtful luxury, immersive travel, and building meaningful hospitality brands in India.

If you enjoy conversations around hospitality industry trends, boutique hotels, Indian restaurants, luxury travel, founder journeys, hotel experiences, restaurant culture, and entrepreneurship, this episode of Speak Greasy is a must-listen.

Tune in to hear how Abhishek Honawar built the Honar Group philosophy around culture, relevance, trust, and emotional connection while redefining modern Indian hospitality.

Welcome to the first episode of Magazine St. Kitchen x Australian Macadamia Society presents Speak Greasy with Gauri Devidayal, Season 5, a podcast that dives deep into the evolving restaurant industry, food technology, delivery platforms, and entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Gauri is joined by Siddharth Jogani, Founder and CEO of Restaverse, and former Zomato leader, for a candid conversation about how technology, data, and delivery platforms are reshaping the modern restaurant business.

Siddharth brings a decade of experience where he has witnessed the immense transformation of the online food delivery ecosystem in India. Starting his career in sales, selling advertising space to restaurants, Siddharth quickly realised how operationally stretched restaurateurs were and how data-driven insights could transform the way restaurants grow.

In this episode, Siddharth and Gauri explore what it means to build a tech-savvy restaurant in today’s digital world. A decade ago, most restaurants relied only on basic billing software, but today the landscape is dramatically different. Restaurants must navigate QR codes, digital menus, AI-driven analytics, SaaS tools, and customer data platforms to stay competitive.

They discuss how Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of restaurant technology, pushing businesses online almost overnight and forcing operators to rethink how they manage delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato. But while technology is powerful, Siddharth emphasises that tech implementation in restaurants should remain minimal and purposeful, ensuring it actually solves operational challenges rather than creating new ones.

The conversation also dives into global restaurant technology trends, including emerging AI tools that listen to customer interactions, track order patterns, monitor staff performance, and generate real-time operational insights. As Siddharth explains, restaurants today are sitting on enormous amounts of untapped data, and those who learn to harness it will gain a powerful competitive advantage. Gauri and Siddharth also unpack the economics and realities of food aggregators, exploring how consumer behaviour differs between Swiggy and Zomato, what drives platform loyalty, and why factors like assortment, quality, affordability, and trust matter more than ever.

The discussion also highlights the importance of online reputation management, customer reviews, and ratings, revealing why responding to feedback is essential for restaurant growth. Siddharth shares why ORM (Online Reputation Management) became the first problem Restaverse set out to solve, helping restaurants better manage their presence across delivery platforms.

From restaurant SEO and performance marketing to delivery economics, customer behaviour, AI-driven hiring tools, and the future of dining out, this episode offers invaluable insights for restaurant owners, hospitality professionals, food entrepreneurs, and anyone passionate about the future of the F&B industry.

Tune in to discover how technology, data, and smarter decision-making are redefining the modern restaurant ecosystem and how Restaverse is helping restaurants turn insights into growth.

In the final episode of Magazine St. Kitchen x Swiggy presents Speak Greasy with Gauri Devidayal Season 4, Gauri is joined by Akhila Srinivas, the founder of Courtyard and Conservatory in Bengaluru. Akhila shares her unique journey from architecture to creating a cultural hub that fosters creativity, connection, and community.

Akhila began her career in architecture after studying at Columbia University in New York. However, when she returned to Bengaluru in 2011, she realised the city lacked spaces where people could engage with culture in a relaxed and accessible way. Inspired by this observation, she coined the term ‘easy culture’ to describe spaces that feel open and natural, where culture could thrive without barriers.

In 2018, Akhila opened Courtyard, initially as a simple café, but it quickly evolved into much more. As she discusses in this episode, her architectural background played a significant role in designing a space that was not just a café, but a place for artists, thinkers, and creatives to come together. Akhila explains how Courtyard became a cultural hub, offering a platform for unique events, performances, and gatherings.

Akhila also discusses how she was able to juggle her architectural career with running Courtyard on the side. Over time, she realised that the café could become a larger part of her life and her vision. She talks about how she merged her design skills with her love for culture to create a space that evolves with the needs of its community.

The conversation also covers how the pandemic shifted Akhila’s focus toward smaller, intimate events and private gatherings. This shift led to the creation of Conservatory in 2022, a dedicated space for pop-up events. Akhila shares how this new space was born out of necessity and how it met the demand for curated experiences in Bengaluru.

Additionally, Akhila discusses how Bengaluru’s food and beverage scene is evolving. Once known for its conservative approach, the city has become a hub for adventurous chefs and curious diners who are eager to explore new experiences. Akhila talks about the impact of the city’s growing tech and startup scene on its cultural and food landscape, and how young people are embracing new ways of eating and experiencing food.

Tune in to hear how Akhila combined her passion for architecture, culture, and community to create spaces that bring people together, inspire creativity, and support cultural exchange. Her story is a testament to the power of following your instincts, building a space that reflects your values, and creating something meaningful that has a lasting impact.

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