Begun with Rs 1.5 lakh propelled by Subway, sandwich creator assembles Rs 50 crore turnover brand

Previous publicizing proficient Hussain Juzer Lokhandwala chose to begin his own desi sandwich brand motivated by American sandwich chain Subway. While working in a publicizing office in Mumbai, he would visit a Subway outlet somewhere around threefold every week to snatch a sandwich. That is the place where a business thought sprung up in his mind.

Former advertising professional Hussain June Lokhandwala decided to launch his own brand of Desi sandwiches, inspired by the American sandwich chain Subway. While working at an advertising agency in Mumbai, he went to a metro station at least three times a week to grab a sandwich. This is where a business idea came to her mind.

“Although the subway sandwich tasted good, it was expensive. Not everyone can afford it more often. The subway menu starts at Rs 150. “I thought of starting a brand of sandwiches like the subway which could be affordable for everyone," says Hussain, founder of sandwich chain 'What A Sandwich', a brand with a turnover of Rs 50 crore.

After researching the business while working, Hussain eventually invested his savings of Rs. .5 lakh and launched a 250 square foot store, his first, in Pune in 2013. “I am grateful to my boss, who suggested that I focus entirely on my business idea for a few months. He said if things didn't work out, I could go back to work," Hussain said, remembering his former boss gratefully. I learned how to make sandwiches by watching many YouTube videos and watching and tasting various sandwiches I would eat from Subway.

I arrived at the restaurant at 6:30. “I bought fresh vegetables, cleaned them and prepared the necessary ingredients. I also cleaned the kitchen and the entire restaurant, in addition to deliveries. I myself have done the work of five people. With a monthly rent commitment of Rs 85,000 for the store, he could no longer afford to spend more money on hiring employees. The restaurant was located in Magarpatta, a prime location in the city where many companies had their offices. Hussain, now 33, was born in the Pune's Camp area. Her father has an interior design business and her mother is a housewife.

He studied at The Bishop's School, Camp and graduated from Symbiosis International University. Thereafter, he completed his MBA from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2010 and moved to Mumbai where he worked in a few companies before starting his own business. Hussain tells how he chose the brand name. "Every time we compliment a dish, we exclaim 'what biryani', 'what food'. So, I thought, why not? What A Sandwich' for my brand. What A Sandwich menu starts at Rs 29. They offer classic vegetables from Rs 40, Hashbourwn potatoes from Rs 60 and chicken salami from Rs 60.

” While the Metro menu starts at 150, our branded menu starts at 29 (how much you can get a simple sliced ​​veggie sandwich with onion, tomato, bell pepper, and cheese sauce," Hussain says. "The Metro has 6-inch and 12-inch sandwiches; we have 4-inch and 8-inch sandwiches (smaller), and it helps for a quick bite." In addition to sandwiches, What A Sandwich also offers salad, sandwiches, tortillas, sandwich slices, burgers, patties and fries. The first year of operation was the busiest, although Hussain worked around 18 hours a day." . He was earning 1,000 rupees a day, which in a month accrued only 30,000 rupees.

It wasn't even enough to pay the rent,” he says. However, I was sure it would work because I was confident that people would appreciate our taste and the business would grow. He used his background in advertising to promote his brand using ingenious methods. He created many groups and shows on WhatsApp and sent funny posters, offers and regular offers to members. To supplement his income, Hussain also worked as a marketing consultant for some advertising companies. During his advertising days, Hussain was in customer support and used to maintain contact with the client and the creative team.

As a consultant, he helped create logos and social media communications for clients using his contacts with creative professionals at advertising agencies.“It helped me pay my bills,” says Hussain. As he relied solely on traveling customers, Hussain began to explore other options to further expand his business. He started approaching businesses in Pune and offered to become their food companion. Soon he began to receive bulk orders from companies. He also teamed up with food delivery partners like Swiggy and Food Panda in 2015, which brought him more customers and increased sales.

"Over time, I realized that most of the orders came from online and that I didn't need a fancy restaurant to run my business. In 2015, I focused on cooking in cloud," says Hussain. "Cloud kitchen took my business to the next level. Until then, I only had two stores, both in Pune. Once I decided to open cloud kitchens, we expanded to d other cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta. We now have 52 points of sale”. Today, he has only one physical outlet. Hussain has trained many women who manage the cloud

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[CSIC NATIONAL PRESS MEDIA]