Ashwani Basantani

Founder, Project X Restaurants | F&B Operator, Entrepreneur & Restaurant Consultant

Ashwani Basantani is an F&B operator, entrepreneur and restaurant consultant with 27 years of experience across restaurants, QSRs, cafés, bars, premium and speciality dining, food courts, hotels, resorts, central kitchens and multi-unit F&B businesses.

His career began in 1998 in five-star hotels, where he worked across banquets, restaurants, lounges and beverage operations. An international stint in Auckland, New Zealand, added experience in international dining, wines, beverages, bartending and high-volume restaurant operations.

He subsequently moved into restaurant expansion and multi-unit operations, leading new-store openings and restaurant expansion across North India, while gaining hands-on experience in QSRs, food courts, central kitchens and franchise operations.

His career progressed into senior regional and corporate leadership, where he managed and expanded multi-city restaurant networks, including a portfolio of 52 restaurants across India, alongside premium dining, speciality restaurants, cafés, bars and other hospitality-led formats. His responsibilities extended across operations, brand management and HR, giving him experience in both the commercial and organisational sides of F&B.

In 2017, Ashwani moved into entrepreneurship, acquiring a restaurant business in Bengaluru and expanding it from one location to five outlets through a largely bootstrapped approach. This added the perspective of an owner-operator, with direct responsibility for investment, profitability, people, operations and growth.

In 2020, he founded Project X Restaurants, bringing together his operating, leadership and entrepreneurial experience into an F&B consulting and advisory practice.

Since then, Project X has worked on 80+ F&B projects across 18 cities, covering concept development, feasibility, restaurant and kitchen planning, menu and product development, central kitchens, pre-opening, operations, restructuring, turnaround, expansion, management assignments and strategic advisory.

Alongside consulting, Ashwani has built a specialised F&B recruitment and executive search practice, helping restaurants, cafés, QSRs, speciality cuisine businesses, resorts and hospitality companies identify culinary, operational and leadership talent, as well as FOH and BOH teams.

A Broad F&B Perspective

Ashwani’s experience spans both experience-led hospitality and high-volume, scalable F&B formats—from premium and speciality restaurants, international dining, bars and lounges to QSRs, cafés, food courts, hotels, resorts, central kitchens, franchise networks and multi-unit businesses.

This breadth forms the foundation of Project X’s approach: understanding the business before prescribing the solution.

Whether the assignment involves creating a new concept, developing the operating model, designing a kitchen, building the team, restructuring an existing business or preparing a brand for expansion, Project X combines strategic thinking with first-hand operating knowledge.

Ashwani also writes and shares practical perspectives on restaurant operations, F&B business models, expansion, central kitchens, hiring and the challenges of building scalable food businesses.

27 years of experience. From operating F&B businesses to building them.