GVR Foods Private Limited, which runs Geetham Veg, a leading vegetarian chain in Chennai, has entered into a partnership with Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA), India’s top-rated hospitality school, promoted by Manipal Academy of Higher Education, a deemed university, in association with Welcomgroup, a division of ITC Hotels, to enhance the training and employment opportunities of WGSHA’s students.
Dr Chef K. Thirugnanasambandham, Principal, WGSHA and Mr Murali N Bhat, MD, GVR Foods are exchanging the MoU at Chennai
The association would also help Geetham Veg introduce new, innovative items to its evolving menu, and give academic exposure to its 150-odd culinary team by way of training, joint-research, and paper publications, facilitating their professional development and career progress. The MoU was signed by Mr. Narayana Rao Murali, Managing Director, GVR Foods, and Dr. Chef K. Thirugnanasambandham, Principal, WGSHA recently.
Commenting about the WGSHA partnership, Mr. Murali N Bhat said, “We are extremely happy to have a formal collaboration with India’s leading hospitality school. With the partnership, we will be able to share our industry expertise with the students, but we would also gain new insights and fresh perspectives from the next generation of hospitality professionals. We have over a decade of experience in the culinary and hospitality industry. We have established ourselves as a respected and reliable provider of high-quality, fast-service Indian vegetarian cuisine. As an industry leader, we are committed to give back to the community while also developing a pipeline of talented, skilled professionals for our industry. We look forward to a continued successful partnership.”
According to the agreement, which is modelled on industry-institute partnership aimed at bridging the gap between theory and industry practices in the hospitality field. It paves the way for the experienced chefs, kitchen and service staff from GVR Foods to visit WGSHA as subject matter experts to conduct guest lectures, counselling sessions, and career talks. GVR Foods will also provide scholarships, internships, and job opportunities to eligible students, and conduct campus interviews.
In his comments, Mr. Thirugnanasambandham, said, “We are elated and extremely excited about our collaboration with GVR Foods. This partnership will add an advantage to both, WGSHA and Geetham by pioneering in Vegetarian cuisine. Geetham, being famous for its vegetarian delicacies will prove to be an excellent learning opportunity for WGSHA students. It will be a monumental step in providing an in-depth knowledge about Indian cuisine to the future hospitality professionals. WGSHA is the foremost institute to provide a post graduate program with a Masters in Indian Cuisine. Our linchpin is to put Indian cuisine on a global map by getting qualified professionals from the industry to train our students. This kind of an industry-academia interface will help our students acquire an abundance of expertise from the master chefs at Geetham. It will also be an extraordinary way to build mobility for our students and faculty members in terms of internships and refresher training at Geetham.
Post pandemic, the travel and tourism industry has undergone an instantaneous change in terms of business dynamics and rise in technological interface. Todays travelers are expecting curated experiences in fine-dine as well as casual dining restaurants. This alliance will help young minds expand their horizon and give them the freedom to innovate and create new products, which is the need of the hour in the hospitality industry.
According to research done by the ministry of tourism, our industry is in dire need of chefs that are well versed with vegetarian cuisine. With this partnership with GVR, we are definite that moving forward, we can enhance our curriculum by digging deep into the micro cuisines of India and strengthening our position as a leading hospitality institute.“
As part of the partnership, WGSHA will establish a space to be known as GVR Corner, which will have a dedicated notice board to display all relevant communications, information, highlights, success stories, events, and achievements related to GVR Foods. In addition, the schools newsletter will share expert commentaries of the staff of GVR Foods in its newsletter, and magazines.
About GVR Foods
GVR Foods is a leading hospitality player in Chennai. It runs Geetham Veg, one of Chennai’s most favourite vegetarian restaurant chains. The chain has 9 outlets and offers 600+ items on the menu. Geetham Veg is famous for South Indian dishes, but it also offers a diverse range of dishes from other regions of India and beyond, like Indo-Chinese, Chaat, North Indian delicacies, Indian and Lebanese sweets, and savoury snacks. With a team of over 1200 people, Geetham Veg caters to the needs of 10,000+ daily walk-in customers. The restaurant also has 200+ corporate customers.
About WGSHA
Established in 1986 as a unit of the Dr TMA Pai Foundation, the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) has been a pioneer in the field of hotel management studies in India. In collaboration with Welcomgroup, the hotel division of ITC Ltd. WGSHA offers world-class training and development programs that are recognised by the International Hotel Association, Paris.
Since July 2003, WGSHA has been a constituent college of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Over the years, WGSHA has consistently secured top university rankings and produced alumni who have found positions in leading hotel chains, airlines, travel agencies, and other prestigious organisations such as Citibank, Blue Dart Couriers, GE Capital, and International Services. Notably, WGSHA has been ranked as the No.1 institute in the country for hotel management studies, reflecting its exceptional reputation in the industry.
