How this brother-sister took forward their father’s legacy with seafood restaurant
On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, we tell the inspiring story of brother-sister duo Adith and Ankita Fernandes who teamed up to take the legacy of their father’s seafood restaurant, Fresh Catch, in Mumbai after losing him in 2020.
There is nothing like losing a parent. It changes your entire life and pushes you right to the top of the queue.
For Adith and Ankita Fernandes, the loss of their father Francis Fernandes during the pandemic in May 2020 came as a shock. The man built Mumbai’s famous seafood restaurant , and ran it successfully for the past 25 years. His demise not just affected his children but also the company's employees and customers.
“To our father, the restaurant was like his third baby, he would caress it like that, and while I was there at his funeral, I knew he would never want us to just leave the legacy. My sister and I pulled ourselves together and the next thing in our mind was to keep his legacy intact,” says Adith.
In an interaction with SMBStory, Adith and Ankita talked about their difficult phase. With widespread uncertainty among the employees, they assured them that the business would survive without fear. They also had the task of reassuring their customers that the legacy won't die after Francis' passing. this signalled a fresh start for Fresh Catch.
Francis Fernandes, Founder, Fresh Catch
The origin story
Francis Fernandes started Fresh Catch in 1998 after he moved to the city of dreams from his hometown in Honavar, Karnataka. He always had a passion for cooking. Hailing from the Uttara Kannada district that borders Goa, Francis' recipe had a blend of Goan and Mangalorean cuisine, and when he came to Mumbai, he started out in a small rented space in Mahim to serve the local seafood cuisine.
The business kicked off on a good note, and gradually, Fresh Catch became a household name. Ankita and Adith put the reason behind the company's success to fresh and unique recipes crafted by Francis.
“Our father used to source each ingredient locally, specifically from the nearby regions of Honavar since our speciality lay in recipes from the North Kanara region. He had contracted with local trollers as well to catch the fresh produce from the docks, and till now, we share the bond with those trollers who helped us survive the tough time when we took over,” they add.
Before joining the business full-time in 2020, Ankita had worked with various reputed hotels as a chef. While working part-time for his father, Adith was also dabbling in the advertising industry, writings ads for food brands. However, they knew deep down that their career will somehow get them back to the path their father had created for them.
“We both knew that eventually we will be looking after the business and now we both are each other's partners which is beyond any partnership because we have that inherent love for this business which no one else can have,” Ankita says.
Interior of Fresh Catch's Bandra restaurant
Carrying the legacy
The brother-sister duo resumed the business in May 2020 itself when the pandemic-induced lockdown had put the world on pause. Banking on home delivery from their restaurant, they collaborated with Swiggy and Zomato by August 2020.
The sales expanded and the business came on track even after the repercussions of the lockdown.
“Now our online delivery range has exceeded 14 to 16 kilometres through Swiggy and Zomato. We have seen a rise in the number of online customers as well which wasn’t there before the pandemic,” says Adith.
Ankita says that the Mahim restaurant had a seating capacity of 34, and people would wait for hours to get their turn. Recently, the Mahim store has been shut for redevelopment purposes, and the duo opened up their new restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai in March 2022, offering customers a luxury ambience. The new restaurant has a seating capacity of 65.
The way forward
The family business comes with a lot of responsibilities that are shouldered on the next generation, Ankita and Adith note. They point out that even after the demise of their father, no day passes when any customer or employee doesn't recall him.
“We want to take forward what we have inherited from our father and we are planning to rigorously expand across Mumbai,” says Adith.
In the future, the duo also plan to enter the retail market by introducing their special spices mix.
Edited by Kanishk Singh