Rise of an ethnic QSR franchise

Origin and concept 

Goli Vada Pav, a quick serve food concept with authentic Indian touch originated in Mumbai in 2004. The brand’s founders Venkatesh Iyer and Shiv Menon realised the huge scope of business in tapping the adult and lower income customers by selling widely popular local street food ‘Vada Pav’ to them, in an organised way. Thus, the idea of Indian finger food Goli Vada Pav Pvt Ltd was born that retailed the humble mouth watering spicy ethnic delicacy which was pocked friendly as well as prepared and served in hygienic conditions.  Indian QSR market is flooded with brands like McDonald’s, Subway and Quiznos market but the brand’s success of Goli Vada Pav No 1 reaffirms the fact that a strong home grown concept can not only thrive but also compete with international concepts.    

What makes the concept so special? 

Vada Pav is basically a spicy vegetable patty in bun sold by street-food vendors. The brand Goli Vada Pav No 1 has pioneered the concept of selling Vada Pav through retail outlet. The brand’s store offer quality and hygienic fast food which is quite affordable. It has successfully branded the traditional street food. It is sells hygienically prepared food items made in fully automated ‘HACCP’ certified hands free plant with an authentic touch. ‘Goli vada pav’ is a typical finger food made up of spices, vegetables, and mashed potatoes packed in Vada Pav. Today, it is known to be an established, reputed, and popular Indian fast-food brand that offers a clean, ethnic finger food for those who have less money and time for food.

Popular products 

The brand offers wide assortment of items to cater to varied taste buds and preferences of customers. Its outlets serve different finger dishes sweet chutney, dry chutney, and fried green chilly. Its famous dishes include, Goli Schezwan Vada Pav, Goli Cheese Vada Pav, Goli Sabudana Vada, Goli Mix Veg Vada Pav, Goli Tikki Vada Pav, Goli Palak Makkai Tikki, Goli Cheese Ungli, and Goli Masala Vada Pav. As the all name suggests vada is common thing which is mixed with others for differentiate taste. The company’s food offerings not only entice the taste buds of consumers they are also   touted to be nutritional. 

Success journey till now 

The brand has opted for franchise business models to grab a quick bite into the Indian
quick serve business. Today, Goli Vada Pav has extensive presence across 40 Indian cities in six states. Goli Vada Pav no. 1 outlets are spread across the length and breadth of the country. Is stores can be found in cities like Aurangabad, Ahmednagar,  Bangalore, Belgaum, I Chandrapur, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dhulia, Hubli, Hyderabad, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Pune and many more. It operates about 150 stores, of which over 140 are via franchise route.

Lucrative biz opportunity

The brand’s concept offers lucrative business opportunity for aspiring franchisees. The factors that make this concept a money spinner are:   

Vada Pavs are popular all time favourite convenient fast food. The product is hygienic and less oil fried snacks having universal appeal. It’s a standard tasty food that can be consumed 365 days a year. The store format and operations are relatively less cumbersome. The product is easy to make and being a finger food one doesn’t require plates, spoons, tables and chairs to eat it. It is a mobile food that can be consumed while walking, talking, standing, traveling therefore preferred by people on the move. Therefore, the franchisee store owner would not require huge investments like infrastructure, kitchen and restaurant etc which substantially cuts the input costs.

Franchising Facts

The company is looking to strengthen its pan India franchisee network. It is targeting especially tier I, tier II, tier III cities and small towns for expansion opening more number of stores. It would like to partner with potential franchise partners who can invest Rs 10-20 lakh. For opening a Goli Vada Pav No 1 store, area requirement is about 350 sq ft. The preferred location for opening an outlet is a high street traffics area like market, colleges, business area and residential catchments. 

Franchisee training & support

The franchisee will get eight year old well established brand name with standard operating procedures in all aspects of business. The company will provide initial and refresher training for business owners and store staff and end-to-end logistics support & regular replenishment of stocks and operational support to monitor & drive business.  

Franchising adds flavours to further growth

The brand’s offerings are economical and for the masses therefore it has access to a large customer base. It is committed to take Vada Pav from the Mumbai streets to a brand known all over the world. Growing popularity of the concept has encouraged Goli Vada Pav No 1 to continue with its expansion plans. The brand encourages entrepreneurship and offers lucrative franchise opportunities across India. The company plans to have 500 outlets by the end of 2015.