By Vaishali Dar & Nikhil Merchant
It’s a known fact that many celebrities have tried their hands at the restaurant business. Most of them didn’t work, though. Examples are actor Priyanka Chopra’s New York restaurant Sona; ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar’s hospitality ventures Tendulkar’s and Sachin’s in Mumbai and Bengaluru; Sehwag’s Favourites by former cricketer Virender Sehwag in New Delhi; and so on.
Globally, too, response to celebrity brands and businesses in the food space has been tepid. Actor Jennifer Lopez, who opened Madres in 2002 in California with a focus on Latin food, shut down six years later. Similarly, in the mid-1990s, Hollywood director Steven Spielberg opened a submarine-themed restaurant called Dive! in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, before closing in the early 2000s.
Star Power Isn’t a Substitute for Strategy
It’s easy to assume that the golden touch of celebrity is all it takes to keep a restaurant buzzing. But as food critic Sourish Bhattacharyya points out, “A celebrity association may get a restaurant some instant media attention, but nothing more.” Ultimately, it’s the food and service that remain the true markers of success.
Nisha Sampath, founder of Bright Angles Consulting, a marketing and brand consulting agency, says: “Being a celebrity does not automatically qualify you to have the acumen of a business person. Working with the right partners becomes key.”
So what does it take to sustain a brand? As per investor and brand strategist Lloyd Mathias, “It’s about how you grow, distribute, have a great product or design, or get the right sourcing partners. But if it’s just done in a haphazard manner, then it shortens the life span of the brand.”
“Success of a business hinges on the acumen of the founder— their ability to successfully identify consumer needs and create a product or service with the ability to meet them,” offers Sampath.
Beyond Fame
For brand value, product quality has to be acceptable to the consumer, says Karan Taurani, executive vice president, Elara Capital. “Innovation in product is an important factor coupled with getting the right target audience for products. Also, a big amount of money is spent on marketing initiatives for brand launch, so a lot of factors are required to satisfy the consumer,” he adds.
Gauri Devidayal, co-founder of Food Matters Group, highlights a crucial point for celebrity restaurateurs—balance is everything. “Is the restaurant hospitality-forward or celebrity-first?” she asks. Devidayal is clear that relying on celebrity for publicity is not enough. “If you haven’t got the vibe and the F&B programme right, you’ve probably lost that customer for good,” she warns. “Celebrity affiliation will certainly give that initial boost, but it’s the quality of the dining experience that will keep people coming back,” she adds.
While celebrities have not been so successful in the restaurant business, they are certainly making a mark elsewhere. If you just glance through the first edition of the recently-released Candere Hurun India Women Leaders List 2025, you’ll see names of several celebrities like Anushka Sharma (co-founder of Clean Slate Filmz, a film production company, and the founder of Nush, a clothing brand); Deepika Padukone (co-founder of KA Productions, a film production company, and the co-founder of 82°E, a skincare brand); Juhi Chawla (along with her family, the co-owner of Knight Riders Sports); Katrina Kaif (co-founder of Kay Beauty, a makeup brand); Kriti Sanon (co-founder of Hyphen, a brand that combines fashion and sustainability); and Priyanka Chopra (co-founder of Purple Pebble Pictures, a production company, and co-founder of Anomaly Haircare, a haircare brand), among others, featuring across categories.
Nikhil Merchant is a Mumbai-born food and beverage expert, consultant and writer.
