I was doing a consultancy project for QSR launch in India in 2012/13. Working next door to Embassy Golf Links, we saw california burritos. And we saw the founders behind the counter. We initially assumed that this was outlet in India part of a global chain and the "founders" are here for initial setup. Nyways, we reached out and ask if we could talk to them about QSR. I think we spoke to Bert, and the surprise on our face when we came to know that this was the first outlet globally. We are like what, you came from US and started this off in India and this your first outlet ever. But we were really impressed back then with the way they were managing. Their pricing and operational focus was sharp from the beginning. We back then felt that this will grow big and am happy to see them succeed.
Wow, awesome story, thank you for sharing! 🙂 Bert is a great guy, and a great source of inspiration for me as I've only been building my business in India for ~4 years, whereas he's been at it for more than more than a decade now. -Caleb
@@backstagewithmillionaires - Are you referring to BWM as your business or are you into other ventures ? We'd love to hear your foray into other businesses too
I really hope bert becomes a billionaire, inspiring immigration into india.its saddens me to see Nadella,haris,Vivek ramaswamy, if they were here . Things would have been little better for us too
@@pradhyudh I disagree with the last line. We aren't lacking for good talent in the country, just the enabling environment.. where there is a lot to say.
It is not India's "brain-gain" specifically in this case as the founder is himself a non Indian so yes it is brain gain but foreign brain comes into the role unlike the situation where NRIs come back to India to start-up. That's called India's self brain gain.
@@SafavidAfsharid3197 Even if they do hardly any 1st worlder would be willing to take that deal rather you'll see only 4th & 5th worlders the countries which are trashier than India they will be looking up to take Indian citizenship.
I live in California and I flew down to Hyderabad to visit my family 2 years back. RGIA Hyderabad airport had a California burrito joint back then, and I went in with minimum expectations thinking it was yet another lesser known American owned franchise, but to my surprise the food was pretty darn good. Mexican food is very much suited for Indian pallette and it’s really surprising to not see many Mexican food joints in Indian metro cities. This guy must be a real genius to figure out the right market at the right time! Kudos to him!
I used to enjoy burritos from Chipotle when I was in NY. After coming back, I was searching for alternatives and found California Burritos, turned to be good. It's great to hear their story and thanks to BWM team for that!
What I liked about Bert is that he is super chill even if things didn't go as expected. He learned and researched a lot before expanding to Delhi and Hyderabad. Even when the host asked, " when his co-founder left, was it difficult?" He replied, " no, decision making became easier." What a guy!
I liked his clarity on how he chooses not to expand outside india, 1, India has a huge market to capture 2, Things working out here may not work in other parts of the world. Expanding global is not a problem when your business demands it. I'm almost 400kms away from Chennai. Will go there once or twice a year, next time when I'll be there definitely gona try this one.
Had lunch at California Burrito just the other day. Was blown by how nutrient rich and wholesome the food was with a lot of fresh ingredients. Like the touch of Guacamole! 🥑 This food business is so underrated in comparison to Taco Bell.
Seeing these videos of yours make me choose an Indian brand or Indian option over a foreign counterpart as the brand feels more familiar and homely. Keep up the great work guys :)
In the not-so-distant future, get ready to see Caleb stealing the spotlight in those same kind of shows. Picture this: someone dramatically introducing him as the Canadian and a TH-cam sensation rocking it in India Wishing you all the best, and as usual, keep up the amazing content and videos!
Thanks so much Shridhar, I worry I'd be terrible in a podcast 😅 but I appreciate the vote of confidence. Let's see where things go! If we keep making great content I'm sure non-BwM podcasts will follow! -Caleb
I am really impressed by how they chose to start things like in a tech park where people are exposed to different cultural backgrounds, that's really smart
California Burrito is so yummy, very underrated, and much better priced than Taco Bell, the best part I love the concept of serving tacos in the system of how subway serves. They should beat Taco Bell.
wohhh!! he is the founder !!! met him at the Noida 142 opening of their outlet.. knew nothing about the brand. Assumed it to be an international and him to be the manager of the store LOL. Such a humble guy. personally spoke to all the customers seeking their reviews and suggestions. great work and awesome food!
Whenever we went to EA in chennai with my friends, california burritos is always on the top 5 orders aside from dominos, kfc, etc. I just watched the full video and learned alot of business lessons, channel like yours should be more viewed!!! Love this video bro, executed it very beautifully.
I don't know how every Indian watching this doesn't get embarrassed at what Bert said. What he said about the lack of respect for law and the incompetence of the judiciary is true.
Dint say lack of respect for law but rather quick system and why would be embarrassed every country has is nicks you want to come here and do business happy to help but we have our own system you have to deal with it
I ate there and liked it. But then I went to North America and was mind blown by the difference of quality. I wish they get the texture and taste from North America to India.
It’s refreshing to see stories of non tech startups, as most Indian Startup stories are so boxed around building an app and services around it . This one is a good old school startup story, and the best thing about the founder is he hands on knows his supply chain till last mile . One thing is for certain be it Vijay, Kunal Shah or Nitin Kamath or Bert … MBA is of no use to become a successful entrepreneur
Who would have thought an American, driving Maruti Omni in Bengaluru with Ambarish's photo on, that's as desi and Kannada as it get's... 👍 you guys stole our Hearts: California Burrito's
I left India 3 years ago for my masters studies in Germany. Since then, India been rising and giving out Gems in food and other sectors.. I am a foody so that hurts me. Also, Germany's food sucks. I think I am a Panoti 😂. Wherever I go, the place starts performing bad 😂... Funny Enough... Mueller is a German last name (Müller) and very rich and enterprising families in Germany. 😂. This guy probably brings everything to a full circle
One thing about them is the quantity and quality and consistency across stores in Bangalore. I was introduced to it by a friend way back in 2017 in Indiranagar and have been a fan since. It's also good for health conscious folks and vegans as you can get a salad burrito bowl.
I was working in Embassy golf links when they started there. Although there was always rush there some how I found it just okay. But looks like they worked it out .
Bert hit it right with his choice of the real estate - Tech Parks as opposed to Malls. I think that was their USP - Tech parks is where you would find US returned, Mexican food loving Indians, and Tech Park is where you would lots of US investors/bigshots hanging around. Listening to Bert, I agree that he did not do enough marketing in the early days. As someone who has lived in the US for sometime, my goto place for Mexican food is Taco Bell. I am sure there are so many like me, who love Mexican but cannot find anything other than TB. Only if Bert had marketed aggressively and opened stores in other cities like Chennai and Hyderabad, I am sure they would've been an Unicorn by now. Anyways, better late than never 😉
Hey BWM, great podcast, loved everything about it and learned a lot. I would request you to create more such content which would help people learn about business and entrepreneurship more.
I remember the 3 guys going around in a red jeep in 2012 when they opened the kormangala store opp pirates. Walked in and had their burritos ans loves it. Also for a long time if u called their store it would get transferred to the one of the founders direct.. would be surprised to hear an American on the other end
Interesting podcast. Big fan of California burrito. Wikipedia says it was started by Jordan Metzner, Sam Nadler and Chris Burns in 2006 in Buenos Aires.
I know where it is, don't need a lecture on geography. I just highlighted that Wikipedia says otherwise, maybe the founders may wanna take a look at it.
So I am now at Domlur outlet. Burrito tastes good. Salt is less, at least to my taste. Probably should have asked for more spicy. Anyways, the staff are courteous and well trained. 👍
44:30, The view that Bert here is very critical, it is very crucial for success and that is the reason why many European and U S business (eg, auto majors) failed after they launched in a new market. They failed to take culture or the mindset of the population into consideration.
My favourite Mexican food chain in India, was regular to their branch in Embassy Golf Link. Experience was very neat, had an inkling that it’s not run by Indian management. Now wondering why? May be the choice of colors, how things would move like a clockwork, and every small details were taken care of. BTW, I will keep California Burrito a step ahead of Chipotle both in taste and experience. All the best!
Bert has a team full of Indians in his management. He just credited them for the current success of California Burrito. In many businesses the management is scummy and usually screw everything up and that has nothing to do with them being Indian. Premium Indian hospitality businesses are famous all around the world.
@@backstagewithmillionairesLoL. You addressed 'em with the name "ShinChan" 😂. Just love you, man. You're certainly gonna be the "front stage *for* millionaires, by millionaires" very soon. ❤
Hello Caleb! You mentioned at 33:00 that they were making 96 lakhs Rs. In profit. Is it the monthly profit or yearly? As it will only make around 5% of revenue, if I assume the revenue was 24 Cr Rs.
Hey Vivek, I believe this would be annual profit. According to a Forbes article, the exact numbers here are ₹21.03 crore in revenue for FY18 and ₹96 lakh in profit for the same financial year. Source: forbesindia.com/article/startups/welcome-to-motel-california-bert-muller-burrito-and-india/71413/1
I would like to see more & more American people's opening startup business here in india and then going global. This will be great for both countries because after all we are both de 48:348:3248:3248:3248:32
By my parents new home location was a chicken place. One day, there was a location by my area. So I went there to take out a few times. In 2016 we went to the one by my mom. The owner told me he shut down the 2 franchises because they were not following the contract, making fried chicken a different way, and other stuff that caused him brand compromise. He said he was better off with one store for now.
Woah didn't know it was founded in India
I was doing a consultancy project for QSR launch in India in 2012/13. Working next door to Embassy Golf Links, we saw california burritos. And we saw the founders behind the counter. We initially assumed that this was outlet in India part of a global chain and the "founders" are here for initial setup. Nyways, we reached out and ask if we could talk to them about QSR. I think we spoke to Bert, and the surprise on our face when we came to know that this was the first outlet globally. We are like what, you came from US and started this off in India and this your first outlet ever.
But we were really impressed back then with the way they were managing. Their pricing and operational focus was sharp from the beginning. We back then felt that this will grow big and am happy to see them succeed.
Wow, awesome story, thank you for sharing! 🙂 Bert is a great guy, and a great source of inspiration for me as I've only been building my business in India for ~4 years, whereas he's been at it for more than more than a decade now. -Caleb
ㅤ
@@backstagewithmillionaires - Are you referring to BWM as your business or are you into other ventures ? We'd love to hear your foray into other businesses too
Wow this is very unique and inspiring.. An American citizen starting up and succeeding in India for over a decade. India's brain gain you could say 😊
I really hope bert becomes a billionaire, inspiring immigration into india.its saddens me to see Nadella,haris,Vivek ramaswamy, if they were here . Things would have been little better for us too
@@pradhyudh I disagree with the last line. We aren't lacking for good talent in the country, just the enabling environment.. where there is a lot to say.
It is not India's "brain-gain" specifically in this case as the founder is himself a non Indian so yes it is brain gain but foreign brain comes into the role unlike the situation where NRIs come back to India to start-up. That's called India's self brain gain.
@@Anonymous-lu7xrindian government should give indian citizenship to people like USA does.
@@SafavidAfsharid3197 Even if they do hardly any 1st worlder would be willing to take that deal rather you'll see only 4th & 5th worlders the countries which are trashier than India they will be looking up to take Indian citizenship.
I live in California and I flew down to Hyderabad to visit my family 2 years back. RGIA Hyderabad airport had a California burrito joint back then, and I went in with minimum expectations thinking it was yet another lesser known American owned franchise, but to my surprise the food was pretty darn good. Mexican food is very much suited for Indian pallette and it’s really surprising to not see many Mexican food joints in Indian metro cities. This guy must be a real genius to figure out the right market at the right time! Kudos to him!
I used to enjoy burritos from Chipotle when I was in NY. After coming back, I was searching for alternatives and found California Burritos, turned to be good.
It's great to hear their story and thanks to BWM team for that!
Are you rich bro?? What's your age?
@@rohithreddy75 I had it like few months ago and it was quite good. Maybe it depends on locations.
@@perseusvlasov367 lol, no. Why.
Even trot in Bangalore have best burrito
What I liked about Bert is that he is super chill even if things didn't go as expected. He learned and researched a lot before expanding to Delhi and Hyderabad. Even when the host asked, " when his co-founder left, was it difficult?" He replied, " no, decision making became easier." What a guy!
I feel proud working in his Resturant..
I liked his clarity on how he chooses not to expand outside india,
1, India has a huge market to capture
2, Things working out here may not work in other parts of the world.
Expanding global is not a problem when your business demands it.
I'm almost 400kms away from Chennai. Will go there once or twice a year, next time when I'll be there definitely gona try this one.
Had lunch at California Burrito just the other day. Was blown by how nutrient rich and wholesome the food was with a lot of fresh ingredients. Like the touch of Guacamole! 🥑 This food business is so underrated in comparison to Taco Bell.
Seeing these videos of yours make me choose an Indian brand or Indian option over a foreign counterpart as the brand feels more familiar and homely. Keep up the great work guys :)
I am one of those customers who had at their first outlet on the opening day. It was in EGL tech park. I still love their food.
In the not-so-distant future, get ready to see Caleb stealing the spotlight in those same kind of shows. Picture this: someone dramatically introducing him as the Canadian and a TH-cam sensation rocking it in India
Wishing you all the best, and as usual, keep up the amazing content and videos!
Thanks so much Shridhar, I worry I'd be terrible in a podcast 😅 but I appreciate the vote of confidence. Let's see where things go! If we keep making great content I'm sure non-BwM podcasts will follow! -Caleb
I am really impressed by how they chose to start things like in a tech park where people are exposed to different cultural backgrounds, that's really smart
I live in Noida and love california burrito...! Order from it almost daily lol... never new a foreign guy built it... good for him, he did a good job
I love these podcast with founders
He was smart. Saw market with no burritos presence and now he dominates burrito market in india😅
Having my first california buritto while watching celeb in hyd❤ really good and unexpectedly I liked it too.
Man, this podcast is gold. Straight questions no bs.
California Burrito is so yummy, very underrated, and much better priced than Taco Bell, the best part I love the concept of serving tacos in the system of how subway serves. They should beat Taco Bell.
Did you see what this is? Thorhead and watch a tiny dot on your giant neck
That’s coz you have no idea it is exactly chipotle replica
@@letusgro yea I didnt know that, thats for telling pe , sadly chipotle is not in India. Atleast in Delhi NCR.
Really loving these podcasts Caleb.
I enjoyed it. A reminder to all such aspirants to always build your basics on strong foundations.
After looking up their prices and quality of Mexican Food 🤤 no wonder they got success. All of it looked great
I am coming to Delhi for Diwali in October from London for will definitely try California burrito 🌯
This guy seems like he's got it figured out the hard way. Keep going and growing man!!!love your products
I always thought it was an American company. It's just mind boggling that he came to India to start it. 🤯
Can't believe he put Ambreesh's face on his Omni. What a legend
Not in Pune unfortunately. Would love to try. Miss good quality Mexican food since my CA days.
Fantastic story. Keep up the great work.
Yeah, no Mumbai-Pune outlets. Such a shame.
It is only based in Bangalore. I have not heard about it. Saw their menu online. Simple menu/simple pricing strategy, no wonder people love this.
Met him 2 days back at Ambience mall. What a guy…great energy and very approachable. Congratulations to him and his team.🎉
He is soo Good and humble, really like it!
wohhh!! he is the founder !!! met him at the Noida 142 opening of their outlet.. knew nothing about the brand. Assumed it to be an international and him to be the manager of the store LOL. Such a humble guy. personally spoke to all the customers seeking their reviews and suggestions. great work and awesome food!
The mention about Ambarish was out of the blue! He is a larger than life personality, though!
Whenever we went to EA in chennai with my friends, california burritos is always on the top 5 orders aside from dominos, kfc, etc. I just watched the full video and learned alot of business lessons, channel like yours should be more viewed!!! Love this video bro, executed it very beautifully.
I don't know how every Indian watching this doesn't get embarrassed at what Bert said. What he said about the lack of respect for law and the incompetence of the judiciary is true.
Why should I be embarrassed when I am not the menace, simple. I am rather angry and furious
Dint say lack of respect for law but rather quick system and why would be embarrassed every country has is nicks you want to come here and do business happy to help but we have our own system you have to deal with it
why would I as a law abiding citizen be embarrassed? Stop trying to take responsibility for someone elses actions
I ate there and liked it. But then I went to North America and was mind blown by the difference of quality. I wish they get the texture and taste from North America to India.
Amazing ..an American founding a food company in india
It’s refreshing to see stories of non tech startups, as most Indian Startup stories are so boxed around building an app and services around it . This one is a good old school startup story, and the best thing about the founder is he hands on knows his supply chain till last mile . One thing is for certain be it Vijay, Kunal Shah or Nitin Kamath or Bert … MBA is of no use to become a successful entrepreneur
We need a lot of entrepreneurs like him, All are welcome
One of the best podcast on your channel till date. Thank you Caleb
Bert sir is the best❤
I have seen many California burrito stores in Hyderabad but never tried .Gonna visit the store soon...
I'm loving this channel, it's not about building big but doing what we love in a small scale buisness to grow
OMG i love California burrito its soooooo good and its sooo filling ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
White guy making Mexican food in india. Brown guy running for prisident in USA . What a time we are living in
Mannn i just love CB, their stuff is top notch good food with good quality, never disappointed 👍👍
Who would have thought an American, driving Maruti Omni in Bengaluru with Ambarish's photo on, that's as desi and Kannada as it get's... 👍 you guys stole our Hearts: California Burrito's
Interesting, never imagined or knew about this.
I left India 3 years ago for my masters studies in Germany. Since then, India been rising and giving out Gems in food and other sectors.. I am a foody so that hurts me. Also, Germany's food sucks. I think I am a Panoti 😂.
Wherever I go, the place starts performing bad 😂... Funny Enough... Mueller is a German last name (Müller) and very rich and enterprising families in Germany. 😂. This guy probably brings everything to a full circle
One thing about them is the quantity and quality and consistency across stores in Bangalore. I was introduced to it by a friend way back in 2017 in Indiranagar and have been a fan since. It's also good for health conscious folks and vegans as you can get a salad burrito bowl.
Please open a store of california buritto in kochi, kerala.. it will be a huge succes here...
I was working in Embassy golf links when they started there.
Although there was always rush there some how I found it just okay. But looks like they worked it out .
Peri Peri potato bowl in California Burrito was the only "junk food" I felt like eating occasionally during my pregnancy :D
Bert hit it right with his choice of the real estate - Tech Parks as opposed to Malls. I think that was their USP - Tech parks is where you would find US returned, Mexican food loving Indians, and Tech Park is where you would lots of US investors/bigshots hanging around.
Listening to Bert, I agree that he did not do enough marketing in the early days. As someone who has lived in the US for sometime, my goto place for Mexican food is Taco Bell. I am sure there are so many like me, who love Mexican but cannot find anything other than TB. Only if Bert had marketed aggressively and opened stores in other cities like Chennai and Hyderabad, I am sure they would've been an Unicorn by now. Anyways, better late than never 😉
This is one positive globalisation story.
Fantastic podcast
As being from Andhra Pradesh, 22:44 I Approve the use of Super Spicy__Respect.
Hey BWM, great podcast, loved everything about it and learned a lot. I would request you to create more such content which would help people learn about business and entrepreneurship more.
He should open Stores in Maharashtra, UP, Bihar, Haryana where population is so big
That head bobble or the so called "Indian head shake" @48:30 makes me believe it is now an Indian start up . 😂
Miss california burrito in the USA. Definitely a top brand and must try restaurant in India
I didn't know about their story. But I had food in California Burrito. It was pretty good.
Very nice and congratulations
This is interesting, I wasn’t aware about it. Wow
Watching this while having a Cali burrito from Guzman y gomez
I remember the 3 guys going around in a red jeep in 2012 when they opened the kormangala store opp pirates. Walked in and had their burritos ans loves it. Also for a long time if u called their store it would get transferred to the one of the founders direct.. would be surprised to hear an American on the other end
Interesting podcast. Big fan of California burrito.
Wikipedia says it was started by Jordan Metzner, Sam Nadler and Chris Burns in 2006 in Buenos Aires.
Do you even know where Bueno Aires is?
I know where it is, don't need a lecture on geography.
I just highlighted that Wikipedia says otherwise, maybe the founders may wanna take a look at it.
@@sujithkumar8999I too checked it, confused!
Im happy that they have vegan options as well. Tried once and it was good.
damn i loved it
Interesting episode and story.
So I am now at Domlur outlet.
Burrito tastes good. Salt is less, at least to my taste. Probably should have asked for more spicy. Anyways, the staff are courteous and well trained. 👍
The first time I had CB was at BLR airport and loved it since. Hate the fact that it isn't available in Bombay
I love California Burrito
Wow great video.
Does California Burritos has any plans for launching a few stores in Mumbai?
Was eating California Burrito when this notification popped up 😂
So wise to choose goldman sachs as first location. Wealth + free marketing, education of right customers
Dont they have a channel? When I searched for California burrito, all other videos started showing up.
California Burrito is a great name, because many people thought it was an American company starting operations in India. Atleast thats what I thought.
Just started to try this in Chennai after seeing this clip
I hope someday we will see California burritos in pune
Bert can consider influence marketing - getting small/medium size influencers of each city to help with the marketing.
A good strat
44:30, The view that Bert here is very critical, it is very crucial for success and that is the reason why many European and U S business (eg, auto majors) failed after they launched in a new market. They failed to take culture or the mindset of the population into consideration.
My favourite Mexican food chain in India, was regular to their branch in Embassy Golf Link. Experience was very neat, had an inkling that it’s not run by Indian management. Now wondering why? May be the choice of colors, how things would move like a clockwork, and every small details were taken care of. BTW, I will keep California Burrito a step ahead of Chipotle both in taste and experience. All the best!
Bert has a team full of Indians in his management. He just credited them for the current success of California Burrito. In many businesses the management is scummy and usually screw everything up and that has nothing to do with them being Indian. Premium Indian hospitality businesses are famous all around the world.
I was part of a California burrito employee
Bangalore ah brother?
Saw a clip of this video on Instagram and here I am going to watch the full video.
Bro said "Andhra Style" 😂🔥
how come on Google this company's bio says it's from Argentina and founded by Jordan Metzner?
Pre covid for almost 6 months, CB bowl was what i ate half the week in office Great to hear the story
Peri Peri Potato Lover
They should do hard shell tacos 🌮 as well
❤
With the rate you're going.. I guess you abould rebrand you channel to Backstage with QSR Millionaires 😂
Haha this is actually a themed season ShinChan 😅 10 episodes of QSR and then we'll move on to something else. Hope you're enjoying it! -Caleb
@@backstagewithmillionairesLoL. You addressed 'em with the name "ShinChan" 😂.
Just love you, man. You're certainly gonna be the "front stage *for* millionaires, by millionaires" very soon. ❤
For the ingredients like Avocados, Pinto Beans and Corn they should collaborate with FAAB.
Can we have it in Kerala IT hub(Technopark Trivandrum)?
International treat celeb
They made a huge change in Mexican food, their one large Burrito would fill our tummy for next 4-5 hrs :D
Hello Caleb! You mentioned at 33:00 that they were making 96 lakhs Rs. In profit. Is it the monthly profit or yearly? As it will only make around 5% of revenue, if I assume the revenue was 24 Cr Rs.
Hey Vivek, I believe this would be annual profit. According to a Forbes article, the exact numbers here are ₹21.03 crore in revenue for FY18 and ₹96 lakh in profit for the same financial year.
Source: forbesindia.com/article/startups/welcome-to-motel-california-bert-muller-burrito-and-india/71413/1
I would like to see more & more American people's opening startup business here in india and then going global. This will be great for both countries because after all we are both de 48:3 48:32 48:32 48:32 48:32
Sikhism is Indian in all...
By my parents new home location was a chicken place. One day, there was a location by my area. So I went there to take out a few times.
In 2016 we went to the one by my mom. The owner told me he shut down the 2 franchises because they were not following the contract, making fried chicken a different way, and other stuff that caused him brand compromise. He said he was better off with one store for now.
I’ve been in Asia for the better part of 8 years I miss North American food. I think this winter and head back home Mexico, and the US.