“What separates an average consultant from the best in the block?”
Many would say experience or network. For Rohan A. Bhatt, Founding Partner of SQuare Consulting, it always comes down to a single habit: walking into a struggling restaurant or a retail brand and asking “What is broken here?”
The rapid evolution in hospitality and retail brands has sent shockwaves across the industry. Shifting customer habits, labour shortages, and digital adoption are rapidly replacing traditional models with hyper-competitive, experience-driven solutions. Prevalent templates are no longer feasible, and plagiarised concepts won’t meet customer expectations.
What brands need is a consultant who diagnoses the deep layers of a business before laying out the turnaround strategy. That is precisely what Rohan has built SQuare Consulting around. Partnering with his brother, Yash Bhatt, Co-founder and COO, the firm has carved a niche in helping brands realise their true potential.
A Structured Leadership Philosophy
SQuare Consulting was launched in 2007 in Surat, Gujarat. What began as a small advisory practice has evolved into one of the most methodical operators in this space. With a portfolio of 90+ successful projects, the firm has shaped everything from the launch and expansion of premium brands like Singh Saab Di Rasoi and The Dough Co. to crafting elevated culinary experiences such as East of Ember.
Every engagement runs through a framework that Rohan calls The SQuare Theory. Anchored in discipline, the framework helps diagnose the root problem before proposing any solution. “Every decision I make is rooted in strong unit economics and generating measurable value,” says Rohan. Yash complements it with his operational expertise. His deep understanding of consumer perception, demand forecasting, and purchasing behaviour makes him challenge every recommendation. Every solution is tested, refined, and validated before it reaches a client. The methodical approach not only sets them apart but is also what clients remember about them.
Leading with a Turnaround Mindset
The early 2000s were a formative period for the Indian hospitality industry. Organized franchise consulting was still in its infancy, and many concepts expanded rapidly on the back of strong ideas, but collapsed because no one focused on the unit economics. The failure rate, in Rohan’s words, was “incredibly high” and almost driven by plagiarised concepts.
For SQuare Consulting, turning around such failing businesses is the biggest challenge but also the greatest honour. Rohan explains that persuading passionate, emotionally invested founders to abandon broken systems is tough. Rather than challenging their conviction, he relies on data. Through detailed analysis of kitchen efficiency, procurement costs and staffing models, he reframes conversations around facts, enabling clients to make informed decisions that drive sustainable growth.
Leadership Designed in Partnership
SQuare Consulting operates under a two-person leadership structure. While Rohan diagnoses the problem, Yash investigates and implements a tailored solution. His refusal to settle for conventional practices and sharp understanding of market needs and customer expectations make him the firm’s operational anchor. “Working closely with Yash has fundamentally shaped my approach,” says Rohan.
The structured model not only allows Rohan to operate at the strategic layer where he adds the most value, but it also broadens his approach to mentorship. For every employee at SQuare Consulting, his standing advice is, “Never assume the most obvious answer is the right one. Dig deeper. Understand the core mechanics of the problem before you ever step up to a whiteboard to draft a solution.”
Building Brands from the Inside Out
The range of SQuare Consulting is best seen in action. East of Ember, developed in partnership with Himanshu Ramnani and Aman Patel of A H Ventures, is one of SQuare Consulting’s most exemplary projects. The firm helped in elevating the dining concept with a unique culinary narrative consisting of the cultural perspectives and professional backgrounds of its founders.
Then there is Project Kernel, a gourmet snacking brand development initiative. Rohan and his team reimagined the entire distributor network and equipment planning architecture from scratch. They also worked with WaveMind Digital Media to build comprehensive onboarding and operational structures.
In each of these projects, SQuare Consulting ensured diversity of perspectives. “Diversity brings a richness of thought and execution that you simply cannot manufacture,” explains Yash. In each of these projects, they did more than add a layer to the brand; they reconfigured its core operational structure.
Engineering a High-Performance Culture
At SQuare Consulting, innovation is a mindset, not a buzzword. In sectors as volatile as hospitality and retail, one cannot survive on conventional templates. The team here is encouraged to challenge established frameworks and rethink how businesses function at their core. It fuels their creativity, particularly when designing smart and efficient systems. “Our resilience comes from the structured processes the firm has refined and pressure-tested over two decades,” adds Yash.
This encouraging philosophy shapes the firm’s culture. Whether launching a 300-cover multi-cuisine restaurant or crafting a highly specialised elevated dining destination, every team member understands how their work contributes to the larger vision. By connecting day-to-day operations with the broader strategic objective, the leaders ensure each individual sees the impact of their role. “Context,” Rohan says, “is the ultimate motivator.”
A Legacy Built on Intent
SQuare Consulting has spent nearly two decades in the hospitality consulting space. The journey hasn’t been smooth. Of all the challenges, Rohan believes the ‘Narrative Tax’ is one of the most persistent obstacles. He explains it as a premium that investors and consumers routinely pay for a brand story with no operational substance beneath it. It is tricky to navigate, which is why both Rohan and Yash prioritize preparation and unit economics.
The mindset has contributed to their evolution through the years. In 2010, the firm expanded into franchise consulting with National and International brands. 3 years later, SQuare Consulting expanded into hospitality consulting. By 2017, it was offering turnkey project solutions. Its trajectory has been anchored by its purpose to help a brand find measurable growth, not just surface-level branding.
The Leader He Aspires to Be
While many define success through revenue or industry accolades, Rohan measures it differently. “When a business owner no longer needs me for their day-to-day troubleshooting because the systems we implemented are running themselves,” he says, “I know I’ve succeeded.” For him, financial outcomes are simply a byproduct of a job well-done. The true of measure of success is in longevity of the brands they helped grow.
This mindset keeps him constantly learning. He writes thought leadership pieces on evolving consumer behaviour and the risks of rapid franchising or of studying market data. Looking ahead, he aims to bring method to the madness of hospitality and retail. “I want to be remembered as a leader who didn’t just design attractive brands,” Rohan says, “but engineered businesses that were fundamentally sound, operationally brilliant, and built to stand the test of time.”
