Goli Vada Pav
Launched in 2004, Goli Vada Pav repackaged 'Vada Pav', a humble street-food popular in Mumbai, into a branded fast food concept. It follows franchise business model and today is uniquely positioned in Indian Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) segment. Read on to discover more about the brand's success and growth journey.
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 Private Limited was born that retailed the humble mouth watering spicy ethnic delicacy, which was pocket friendly as well as prepared and served in hygienic conditions. Indian QSR market is flooded with brands like McDonald's, Subway and Quiznos but the success of brand 'Goli Vada Pav No. 1 reaffirms the fact that a strong home grown concept cannot only thrive but also compete with international brands.
What Makes 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 stores offer quality and hygienic fast food which is quite affordable. It has successfully branded the traditional street food. It sells hygienically prepared food items made in fully automated 'HACCP certified handsfree plant with an authentic touch. 'Goli Vada Pav' is a typical finger food made of spices, vegetables and mashed potatoes packed in 'Vada Pay'. Today, it is known to be an established, reputed and popular Indian fast food brand that offers a clean and ethnic finger food for those who have less money and time.
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 like sweet chutney, dry chutney and fried green chilly. Its famous dishes include Goli Schezwan Vada Pav, Goli Cheese Vada Pay, 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 name suggests vada is a common thing, which is mixed with other things for different taste. The company's food offerings not only entice the taste buds of consumers, but 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 6 states. Goli Vada Pav No. 1 outlets are spread across the length and breadth of the country. Its stores can be found in cities like Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Bengaluru, Belgaum, 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 Business 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 and convenient fast food. The product is hygienic and less oil fried snack having universal appeal, It's a standard tasty food that can be consumed 365 days of the year. The store format and operations are relatively less cumbersome. The product is easy to make and it 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 or travelling, and is 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 cut the input costs.
Franchising Facts
The company is looking to strengthen its pan Indian franchise network. It is targeting especially tier I, tier II, tier III cities and small towns for expansion and opening more number of stores. It would like to partnership with potential franchise partners who can invest 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 traffic areas like market, colleges, business areas and residential catchments.
Franchisee Training and Support
The franchisee will get the 8 years 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 and regular replenishment of stocks and operational support to monitor and drive business
Franchising Adds Flavour 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 which will be 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 the year 2015.
- Name some international brands operating in India as Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs).
- What, according to you, is the reason for the tremendous success of 'Goli Vada Pav?
- What makes this concept lucrative for the investors?
- In the chapter, we have discussed the advantages of franchising, as enjoyed by the franchisee. Quote lines from the passage indicating the advantages as enjoyed by the franchisees of Goli Vada Pav.