Dominic CostaBir’s path has been an interesting composition of resilience, persistence and adapting to what life offers right from his college days to today, where he is a sought-after name in hospitality training for colleges and corporates.
“In 1987, I got into the Hotel Management Programme at IHM Mumbai by chance,” says Dominic, recalling the time his mother, Maggie, chanced upon an advertisement and prodded him to apply. He cleared the IHM JEE without any ambition or dream of making it big in the hospitality world.
The Beginning
“Post the Hotel Management Program (1990), I set my sights on entrepreneurship, but my resources were tight,” shares he. “Party catering was the most economical enterprise. I used our small home’s kitchen and equipment, printed visiting cards worth Rs 350 (all the money I had), and then with courage and family support, Dine-A-Mite Caterers was born.” However, in the first year of business, Dominic got little traction as few would trust a kid with their celebrations – so it was time to pivot. He started handling the operations for three other caterers on a part-time basis, while continuing his catering business.
Then came a big break. Prema Purao (fondly called Tai – big sister), Secretary, Annapurna Mahila Mandal (AMM), approached him to run their central kitchen. AMM dispatched tiffins (thalis) for the employees of various offices and factories like Siemens, Lawkim and NOCIL among others. Dominic took up the assignment while still running his catering business. “Tai was simple yet astute, a visionary leader who took communication to an art form. She mentored me,” he says with warmth.
He soon added VSNL (a PSU) to his kitty… “I was brought in to revamp their systems and redesign the kitchen, menu etc.”
First Major Failure… Pivot?
In 1993, he borrowed Rs 5 lakh, a huge amount for him at that time, to open a restaurant in Pune. Dominic laughs, “I made huge mistakes while planning the finances, restaurant layout, making projections, strategising, menu planning… the smartest thing I did was shutting it down in six months.” Under pressure to repay the loan, he explored Dubai, only to return to India to persist with his multiple hustles including consulting for a restaurant.
Stagnation Takes Over
“A decade later, I was doing the same things, earning more, yet had no savings – a huge red flag. I was happy with my work experiences, but not with the way my career was panning out. But I couldn’t think of any options and for two more years, I struggled on.”
HTI Is Born
“Towards the end of this two-year period, I trained and certified a group of lady entrepreneurs for Ismailia Helping Society (IHS). I recommended to IHS that they should set up a hospitality training institute and presented my feasibility study, but they didn’t take it forward. So I roped in two friends. One had a 1,200 sq ft space in Mahim, Mumbai, and the other had teaching experience… and just like that, HTI (Hospitality Training Institute) was born. On 02/02/02, Prema Tai and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor inaugurated HTI. I stopped all the hustles and shifted focus from earning to learning (self improvement). HTI became my life, my reason for being,” says Dominic emotionally.
HTI’s Training Strategy
Dominic prefers short and gamified study material to traditional teaching methods. “They shouldn’t be students but participants – hence, we curated sessions with fun and engagement; making them part of the learning process. For example, in hospitality, stacking the side station and laying the table are critical aspects. We had contests with teams being timed to stack sideboards, and lay tables… Then the other teams pointed out errors – each valid fault earned them a point. It was a riot – arguments, fun and learning,” he laughs.
While HTI’s coursework gained industry recognition, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) ordered HTI to shut down as the courses were unrecognized.
Pivot: Industry Training
“My partners moved on and I took over HTI. Sticking to the same formula of short and gamified study material, I shifted from student-related courses to industry training, targeting the bottom of the hospitality pyramid – waiters, housekeeping boys and delivery executives. Mostly under educated youth. To lower resistance to training, we apply a motivational pull: “WIFM – What’s In It For Me?” he shares.
He elaborates, “A waiter earns a lot via tips. So, he will refuse a promotion as it often eliminates tips while piling up responsibility. Here, we highlight two scenarios…
“Scenario 1: Imagine over a 30-year period, you bring your girlfriend, then wife, then kids and finally your grandkids to see your place of work – in all cases, you are the Waiter.
“Scenario 2: You bring your girlfriend (when you are a Waiter), wife (Captain), kids (Manager) and grandkids (General Manager). Also, as a Manager and General Manager, you earn so much more than a Waiter, plus get multiple benefits.
“Moral: Don’t aim to earn; aim to grow – money will follow.”
Training Trajectory
Ask Dominic about HTI’s training core and he rattles off on how HTI has trained 26,000 school bus drivers and attendants for Tata Motors in behavior with students, parents, and on safety. He adds, “We have trained staff of many restaurant and hotel chains pan India and in Dubai, Maldives and Saudi Arabia. Currently, we are training over 5,000 Zomato riders for their Premium Fleet.
“Post pandemic, the demand for training has jumped and become more broad-based. Earlier, it was mainly high-end properties that considered training. Now, it’s across the board, coming down to what’s colloquially referred to as ‘quarter system bars’ (places that offer small tables, congested seating and alcohol served by the quarter)!”
Shared Value
HTI’s operating practices not only enhance its own competitiveness, but simultaneously improve the economic and social conditions of participants and partner organizations.
During the pandemic, all training stopped. Yet HTI’s financial pain was nothing compared to others who were desperate. Team HTI regularly brainstormed to find a solution. They realized that restaurant and hotel owners were keen to open, but couldn’t guarantee permanent employment due to shifting Covid protocol. On the other hand, people were willing to work even on a part-time basis – they needed the money to survive. Within months, HTI launched CoLaBoRate, a PaaS (Platform as a Service) app to connect management to part-timers. Thankfully, the pandemic passed. “My son Storm has now rebuilt the app (rebranded it as Just Gigs) and it’s operational in Mumbai. Many brands and professionals are benefiting from Just Gigs. He is currently not charging, but will move to a subscription model. Eventually, Storm plans to take it national,” he adds proudly.
Working With Brands
HTI has collaborated with Mainland China, Ginger Hotels, Air India, EY, Aditya Birla etc as it customises training programs for the hospitality industry. “We train the guest-facing team, supervisors and those in leadership roles in job and soft skills. Besides direct interventions, we also set up their training departments by training their departmental trainers and provide customized training material. Our ‘The Training Tsunami’ (T3) app hosts a Learning Management System (LMS) and tracks the training progress,” he reveals.
Team Building & Bonding @ Woosh Biz
Dominic is particularly upbeat about his company’s vertical Woosh Biz by HTI that focuses on team building and bonding for colleges (customised programs) and corporates. “We tie up with organizations to do one session a month at each of the outlets – hotels and restaurants. Besides building bridges between departments that usually clash, the team feels cared for and it breaks the monotony of daily work.”
Commitment To A Cause
The hospitality community – particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds – is at the core of Dominic’s passion. This spirit moved him to pen a book ‘The Waiter – Motivation to Serve, Change and Achieve’ for this community. “I am currently working on two more books – ‘The Trainer’ and ‘The Leader’,” he reveals.
Dominic says he’s an ardent fan and eternal believer of training as his life is a testimony to the power of training. “For nearly 12 years, I slogged, chased money and made a lot of it, yet had nothing left. Nor did I feel fulfilled. But when I started HTI, my focus moved to self-improvement and it continues to be so. This was game-changing for me in every aspect – mentally, financially, spiritually. I am always asking myself, ‘What did I learn? How should I change? How can I grow?’ …And I learn from professionals, experts, novices and kids,” he signs off.
