How to Scale Food Like Software - And Still Make Money | Jaydeep Barman (Rebel Foods)

"I have this fundamental belief that you make abnormal returns not when you are right but when people don't agree with you."

This contrarian mindset from Jaydeep Barman perfectly captures how Rebel Foods built a $1.4 billion unicorn by doing what everyone thought was impossible: decoupling restaurant brands from physical real estate.

Jaydeep Barman is the Co-founder and Group CEO of Rebel Foods, the world's largest internet restaurant platform operating 450+ cloud kitchens across 100+ cities in three countries. Under his leadership, the company processes 3 million orders monthly, generates ₹1,800+ crores in annual revenue, and achieved unicorn status at a $1.4 billion valuation. A former McKinsey Associate Partner with an MBA from INSEAD, Jaydeep pioneered the multi-brand cloud kitchen model that revolutionized how restaurants operate.

In this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, he shares the journey from a failed Kolkata roll startup to building a category-defining global company.

Key Insights from the Conversation:

👉Contrarian Strategy: Being misunderstood by competitors created a protective moat during Rebel's early growth years
👉Cloud Kitchen Economics: 12-15 month payback periods with 25-30% monthly profits, dramatically better than traditional restaurants
👉Multi-Brand Innovation: Single kitchens operating 15+ brands simultaneously, maximizing asset utilization
👉Technology Moat: Proprietary Rebel OS automates cooking processes, ensuring consistency across hundreds of locations
👉Global Expansion: Strategic approach to international markets, focusing on structural advantages rather than rapid scaling
👉People Philosophy: Hiring for "founder mentality" over CVs, creating an intentionally "abnormal" company culture

Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction to Rebel Foods
00:01:31 The Scale of Rebel Foods Today
00:04:56 Unique Business Model: Decoupling Real Estate from Brand
00:07:41 Why Rebel Foods Is a Unique Global Player
00:09:07 Economic Moats: Operating System, Scale & Brand Love
00:11:37 Why Aggregators Can't Compete with Rebel
00:15:26 Brands vs. Distribution in Food Delivery
00:18:48 Building Brand Love in the Digital Age
00:23:01 How Rebel Launches and Scales Brands
00:27:24 Product-Market Fit: Customer Love + Unit Economics
00:30:09 Data-Driven Scaling & Marketing Strategy
00:34:39 Contrarian Bets & Lessons from Howard Marks
00:38:39 Franchising, Global Expansion, and Market Fit
00:43:40 Founder Factory: Growing CDOs Internally
00:54:15 Automation, Consistency, and Kitchen Science
01:01:48 Transforming Lives Through Ownership
01:04:15 Unit Economics of a Rebel Cloud Kitchen
01:09:09 Expansion Strategy: Amoebic Behavior + AI
01:11:16 EatSure and the D2C Food Court Model
01:16:18 Financial Outlook & IPO Plans
01:26:06 Jaydeep’s Entrepreneurial Journey
01:42:37 From Fasos to the Cloud Kitchen Revolution
01:45:09 Rebel Foods' 3 Key Inflection Points

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Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel