Great bars aren’t just about what’s in the glass, they’re about the people, the energy, and the sense of belonging they create. Vijeta Singh understands this better than most. As a driving force behind Cobbler & Crew and Elephant & Co, she has built venues that go beyond serving drinks; they foster community, empower teams, and set new benchmarks for hospitality in India.
In this conversation, Vijeta shares how she transitioned from strategy to operations, why investing in people is at the heart of her success, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Whether you’re a bartender, an aspiring bar owner, or simply someone passionate about great hospitality, her insights offer a powerful blueprint for building bars that last.
1. What first drew you to the hospitality industry, and what was your path to opening Cobbler & Crew and Elephant & Co?
In some way or another, I’ve been part of the hospitality industry since I was 24. I started working with Elephant and Co. in its second year and helped build the next two outlets. My focus was always on concept, positioning, and business strategy - more behind the scenes than on the floor.
But in 2022, I felt ready to take the leap into operations and open something of my own - that’s how Cobbler & Crew started. I saw a clear gap in Pune for good cocktail bars, and more than that, I wanted to build a space where teams could grow, upskill, and truly thrive.
The hospitality industry gives me the perfect platform to do that. I love working with people, setting up systems, creating clarity, and planning individual growth journeys. That’s something stand-alones usually miss but five-stars focus on - and I wanted to change that.
At the core of it, my purpose is simple: help people perform better, learn more, and earn more. To do that, you need a great product, solid business, and consistent service. So, I start by focusing on those - and everything else follows.
2. Your venues have a strong sense of community. Why is this such an important part of your approach to hospitality?
“Community” is a word that gets thrown around a lot today. But for us, it’s always been simple, happy teams, make happy guests. Authentic hospitality goes way beyond any marketing budget or brand collaboration.
We lead by example. With six venues and a 400+ member team today, we’ve built (are still building) strong internal training systems that make sure our values are passed on. The concept, location, or team may change, but the hospitality never does. We spend a lot of time teaching our teams how to do that, every day.
When Cobbler wins an award, our regulars come in to celebrate - because it feels like a personal win for them too.
Whether it’s a bar or a restaurant, we want to be the first place people think of when they want to show someone a good time. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to - and you don’t need to know the owner to experience that. We live in a super glamorous F&B world today, but we remind our teams daily - The biggest recognition is when your guest chooses to come back to you.
3. What does ‘great hospitality’ mean to you, and how do you ensure your team delivers it every day?
Great hospitality is when the guest doesn’t have to ask twice. It’s when they feel looked after without even realising how much effort went in. It’s quiet, thoughtful, and deeply consistent.
It’s also not just service, it’s about empathy, anticipation, and making someone feel welcome without overdoing it. And it’s not limited to one person. From the valet to the runner to the bartender, everyone has to play their part. In the last 2 years, we have started focussing a lot on hiring more strategically - no desperate hires, trainable staff that want to learn and grow, value systems aligning with ours etc. We have mindfully invested in our HR teams and training processes as well, we want to make sure that whoever comes to us, for whatever time period, becomes a better professional and goes out. This vision has helped us get better people in the team too. We train for this from day one. We do team briefings, soft skills training, and teach our teams to read guest cues - not just take orders. We also create space for our teams to grow, feel proud, and take ownership. That energy shows.
And lastly, we remind them that hospitality is a feeling - if you feel good coming to work, it’ll reflect on how you make others feel.
4. Opening and running a bar or restaurant comes with challenges. What’s been your biggest lesson so far?
Coming from a non hospitality background, I think my biggest challenge has been to learn ABCDs from scratch lol. Passion is not enough - you need strong systems.
In the early days, we were all heart, focused on product, experience, and building a great vibe. But as we grew, I realised that without solid systems, clarity, and accountability, things break down fast - especially in this industry.
Also, people management is everything. From hiring right to building culture, from retaining talent to resolving conflict - if you don’t get that part right, nothing else sustains. P&L is the mother of everything and cannot be ignored. Cost management is not something that you leave on your senior leaders entirely.
The biggest lesson? You can’t do it all alone. You need good partners, a strong second line, and clear roles. That’s how you scale without burning out.
5. Your venues feel uniquely welcoming and thoughtfully designed. How do you translate your vision into a space that feels both functional and inviting?
Consumer research is at the core of how we build our venues. We always start with two key things - the APC (average per cover) we want to hit, and the number of seats we have to play with. From there, we work backwards.
We deep dive into the market, especially within a 5 km radius. We study consumers, competitors, pricing, and gaps - what’s missing, what people are craving, and what they’re tired of.
Before we launched Juju, we did a detailed survey with 250 people. For Gather, we spoke to over 500 potential consumers to understand their habits, dining preferences, frequency, and spends. These insights shaped everything - from the concept to the pricing and even how the team interacts with guests.
So when it comes to design, we’re not guessing. We know exactly who we’re designing for and what they want. Once that clarity is in place, we bring in seasoned designers, and Rare Ideas, our partner branding agency helps us translate that vision into a space that’s both functional and emotionally on-point.
6. What advice would you give to someone looking to open a bar or restaurant with a strong identity and loyal customer base?
Start with clarity. Know why you're opening the place and who you're opening it for. Too many people jump in with a vibe or cuisine in mind but skip the groundwork.
Be ready to be personally invested. This is not a business you can delegate from day one, even if you have the best team, unless you're purely an investor. You have to learn and do the work. Understand every part of the business - not just what makes a good cocktail, but also branding and marketing, cost management, how to train your team, set service standards, and run a tight operation.
Ask for help from people who have already done it. You’ll be surprised at how many of them are willing to help if you just ask.
From day one, get yourself a solid accounting and legal team. It might not be the most exciting part, but it’s what holds everything together.
A strong identity comes from having a clear point of view. And if you're doing something new for the market, it will take time to catch on. Don’t panic after one slow Friday night. Don’t throw your concept away to do what everyone else is doing. Stay true to your audience, focus on bringing the right people in, keep taking feedback, and keep improving the core.
That’s how real brands are built - with patience, clarity, and consistency.
7. What’s next for you? Any exciting projects or plans on the horizon?
Yes! We were actually about to start work on a beautiful property in Bandra, but it fell through at the last minute. So right now, we’re actively looking for the right spaces in both Mumbai and Pune. If you know of any good locations, do let me know!
Vijeta Singh’s approach to hospitality is a masterclass in balance—between vision and execution, creativity and systems, and community and business. What stands out most is her ability to create spaces that are both welcoming and commercially sustainable, proving that great hospitality isn’t just about the experience but also the infrastructure behind it.
Her insights reinforce a crucial lesson for anyone looking to build a lasting venue: success in this industry isn’t just about a great cocktail list or a stunning fit-out. It’s about clarity of purpose, investing in people, and ensuring that strong systems support big ideas.
For those dreaming of opening their own bar or restaurant, Vijeta’s story offers a roadmap: start with deep market research, build a team that aligns with your values, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most importantly, be patient and stay true to your concept—because the best bars aren’t built overnight.
