Kickin’ Inn started as a conversation about the Australian dining market between two friends, Sami Karras and Ravi Singh. They believed it was becoming blasé. Australia had an exciting seafood scene, but it was one that was out of reach of the budgets of most diners. Having travelled and worked all over the world, they were both familiar with the kind of cuisines that were out there. One that particularly appealed to both Singh and Karras was Cajun – a cuisine that was virtually unknown in the Australian market at the time.
“We thought, ‘Why not combine Cajun with Australian seafood and make something new? Seafood was popular, but a delicacy most people saved for special occasions,” says Singh, who is the CEO, the Co-Founder and the architect of Australian Cajun seafood chain, Kickin’ Inn Australia. “We decided to combine it with something new that people will love.”
The idea arrived at a fortuitous time. Australia was receiving more immigration from Southeast Asia and Europe, and the market was opening up to new ideas. Most importantly, Australians wanted something new.
The Secret Sauce
It was a fantastic opportunity, but before Karras and Singh could seize that opportunity, they had an obstacle to contend with.
“It took three years to make the recipe for the Cajun sauce,” Singh tells us. “Initially, I called around looking for any suppliers in the world who would give me a pre-made sauce, but after a lot of research, I found nobody would come to the party. So, we spent three years making our own. We were eating Cajun for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to make what we now call the golden 65 herbs and spices.”
The end result is a restaurant that was a break from the norm for the Australian restaurant scene.
“Generally, you go to a restaurant all dressed up. You look nice and clean and sit in an environment with knives and forks all laid out,” says Singh. “We wanted to bring Australian values into that model. Having a beer, having fun, you’re not being judged on how you look. You don’t eat seafood with a knife and fork! You want to be licking your fingers in public and not feel ashamed.”
Diners at Kickin’ Inn Australia do not have knives and forks, they have bibs and gloves. The atmosphere is loud music and high energy, with people using their bare hands to eat.
“We encourage people to play with their food,” Singh says. “It gives mums, dads and kids a chance to come together and nobody’s touching their mobile because their hands are in their food, covered with finger licking sauces.”
Out of the Danger Zone
But while Kickin’ Inn arrived in the market with an exciting proposition, starting a new business in the 21st century would always mean navigating perilous terrain.
“Managing volatility and growing a brand is not an easy thing,” Singh reflects. “We started the brand in 2018, and by 2019, we were just coming out of the danger zone. Then I had to start something called storytelling, to manage customer perception continue growing the brand, and then the pandemic happens.”
The decade since Kickin’ Inn began operating has seen uncertainty in the digital world, high inflation, skyrocketing interest rates and a cost of living crisis, among other challenges. And the future is looking no more certain.
“AI is putting huge pressure on businesses like ours because it’s moving web searches away from SEO,” Singh points out. “These sorts of challenges are where I come in as an entrepreneur. I’m not just locked behind closed doors. I have to think globally. I have a team of 600 people, and I need to bring them that global perspective, stay on my toes, and understand what’s happening.”
Part of that perspective is a long view, making plans that will allow Kickin’ Inn to move with the generational shift, serving its current customers’ children and even grandchildren.
“I’m working towards Generation Beta, born in 2025 and beyond,” Singh tells us. “We are making sure all of the strategies we are bedding together will be continued into the future. We serve kids under eight years of age for free today, because those kids will be married in 20 to 25 years, and they will have children and bring them to Kickin’ Inn. I am thinking generations down the track so that we can grow strategically with our people. That is my job.”
Into the Community
That is Singh’s core purpose, but he is enough of a businessman to know that his job relies on the quality of the rest of his team.
“One thing I have learned in 40 years of hospitality is that it’s a people game,” Singh says. “We have based our business on four fundamentals. If you invest in the right people, they make the sales. The sales make the money. Then you put that money back into the community. That community will find you good people.”
Over the last seven years, Singh has developed a company culture based on the fundamentals of trust, respect, transparency and camaraderie. It is a model Singh personally has invested a great deal of time into.
“85% of my time is spend on people, talking about development and culture and ways to make my people’s jobs easier,” Singh says.
It has made Kickin’ Inn a sought-after employer.
As Singh points out, “We receive 2,500 applications a month, and we are selective in who we hire. Recruitment is not a major challenge given the market dynamics. Finding good people is hard, but people are coming through the doors with the passion that we need.”
With that passion behind them, Kickin’ Inn Australia is in a strong position for the future. It is a limited company with no liabilities, and a brand that they have built from the ground up.
“At the moment, the first milestone we are aiming for is to have opened 50 restaurants by 2030. Then we want 100 by 2035,” Singh says. “But the bigger goal now is going international. We have settled the fundamentals. We have a lean business, and my wonderful wife Veena supports me, running innovation and finance for the business, while Dan Bardon is ready to take us abroad with Sami, holding on the property portfolio.”
However much the company grows, Singh is adamant that it will stay true to the values it started with.
“We are a human company, an Australian-born company with Australian values. We are right in the heart of the community,” Singh says. “My vision for the organisation is to bring in employees who believe in family values. Everyone we hire has an attachment to community work, and a proportion of our funds go back into that community. This creates our brand, and I’m appreciative of everyone who took that brand from an idea to national identity with over 5 million followers.”