From fine dining to Red Rooster – a franchisee’s colourful food journey
Throughout his career as a chef, Lakhveer Brar Singh has cooked countless exquisite meals for thousands of people. However, his most satisfying time in the kitchen has been in his own Red Rooster stores. The one-time engineering student has come a long way and now owns 3 outlets in WA.
Introducing Lakhveer Brar Singh – Red Rooster Franchise Partner Baldivis, Bibra Lake and Busselton, WA
Red Rooster Franchisees Lakhveer Brar & Manveer Singh
Here he tells us about his interesting career path and rates his stores’ chicken.
Tell us a bit about your background/family
Growing up in a small Indian town I’d always wanted to be an engineer. I was studying for a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering when my friend’s brother told me he was going to Australia. I decided I wanted to study in Australia as well and moved to Melbourne.
So did you ever pursue your original career aspiration?
No, because I soon realized that my true calling was food. I had always loved food and cooking for my family. To earn some money I took a job as a kitchen hand and within six months had been trained up and was working as a chef at a fine dining restaurant located in a Melbourne hotel. Following that I had other chef jobs and moved to WA to become head chef at a mining camp.
What lead you to Red Rooster?
It wasn’t until I got married that I decided I wanted to start my own business. My parents have owned retail stores, so I guess it was in my genes. I was looking at spots to open my own restaurant but owing to the volatile market decided to wait. My brother, who by now had moved here, was also looking at franchises at the same time and asked me if I wanted to open a Red Rooster store with him. However, I’d never heard of it! So, he took me to a Red Rooster for lunch and I liked the look and feel of it. It went from there and we now own 3 stores.
So do you also work in the kitchen?
Yes – I’m running a kitchen again and also like being in charge of a store. I felt this would be a good investment for me and my family seeing as it was an established brand. We’ve been in business now for four years and I have a great relationship with our business consultants and feel part of the Red Rooster family.
committed | compassionate | honest
As a chef how do you like the food?
I love it! The chicken is my favourite item on the menu, especially when it comes fresh out of the oven with veggies.
What has been the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard?
My grandfather used to say that the biggest treasure in your life is your family. They are the reason why I put so much effort into the business as they are everything to me. My brother and I still live together with our family. Having a close relationship with them has taught me that you need to make lots of sacrifices, sometimes you need to look after others before looking after yourself. Those are lessons I’ve also implemented into the business.
What are your top tips for running a successful business?
The most important thing is you should be 100 per cent committed to your business and daily operations. You need to commit yourself to your team as well. My team are like my family and you need to invest in them, teach them, and listen to their feedback so they know they’re valuable. You should also establish a good culture and, of course, must love what you do.
How do you see Red Rooster growing?
I think the brand is going to have great growth overall. I’ve seen a 15 to 20 per cent growth rate in the last year in our stores. At a recent meeting we were presented with new CEO Nick Keenan’s three-year plan and I was impressed. His vision and focus on simple, delicious food is spot on. He’s arrived at the perfect time, bringing in new energy which is exactly what we needed.
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