?Goli Vadapav gets franchising offers from Dubai and UK

Goli Vadapav

BY - Franchise India Team
Editor Dec 23, 2016/

180

/ 3 MIN READ.

?Goli Vadapav gets franchising offers from Dubai and UK

With a vision to carve out a niche among the likes of burgers and pizzas of the world, entrepreneur Venkatesh Iyer pioneered Goli Vadapav that is devoted to the humble vadapav. "I always thought of vadapav as Amitabh Bachchan and wanted to show it to the rest of the country," said Iyer.

Making vadapav a brand, as Iyer puts it, was the intent behind Goli and has now grown to over 300 stores spanning 100 cities across 22 states since 2004. The business model is largely outsourced with aspects pertaining to production and logistics contracted to international companies.

Iyer pointed out that the company which manufactures burgers for McDonalds is the same that produces the vadas (deep fried potato cutlet) for Goli. According to Iyer, not only has the product been well received at places outside Maharashtra where vadapav is less common but also in areas where the food is unheard of.

"My business has grown through word of mouth. A customer who loved my food actually opened a franchise in his hometown at Aurangabad," said Iyer.

Iyer believed that the public might get bored of eating the same deep fried batter coated potato cutlet and thought diversifying the food would make the vadapav more desirable. Iyer said, "To make it more appealing to our customers we introduced variants like mixed-veg, schezwan, corn and cheese into the mix and it paid dividends." His stores also offer other items like misal and rolls apart from the staple.

Running a business on a scale as large as Iyer's does come with challenges, he said. Maintaining a consistent service quality in every outlet is something Goli is proud of, said Iyer.

There is much effort being put in to perfect the service, according to Iyer. Similarly, there are many areas within the entire operation that the company is still working on, said Iyer. "We are concentrating a lot on logistics and production as demand for our product is steadily increasing," he said.

Iyer has also received a number of enquiries from overseas about opening franchises outside India. However, Iyer said there is still time to consider exporting the brand as there in much work to be done here. "I have people from Dubai and UK who are eager to take my franchise," he said.

Business expansion

Goli' academy to teach students to prepare Mumbai vadapav

BY - Franchise India Team
Editor Jan 23, 2017 / 4 MIN READ

Goli' academy to teach students to prepare Mumbai vadapav

Having an optimistic plan in mind for business expansion, Venkatesh Iyer, cofounder, Goli Vadapav, is all set to launch ‘Goli’ Academy. In the next 3-4 months, the academy will admit school dropouts and 10th pass students and teach them the nuances of making the famous Mumbai vadapav, store management, customer service and experience.

Iyer, who was in the city for the launch of his book, ‘My journey with Vadapav’ said,“We have already roped in about 150 executives who have worked with companies like Mc Donald’s, Brittannia and HUL earlier to train these boys.”

Goli vadapav started its journey with a small store in Kalyan, Mumbai in early 2004. Today, the company is present in 90 cities with over 350 stores, expanding through the franchise model. In 2008, the founders, Venkatesh Iyer and Shivadas Menon bagged funding from founder and former CEO of Mphasis, Jerry Rao and in 2011, from Ventureast.

Iyer explained,“We have completed the phase of exploration. It’s time to focus on operations – excellence, new channels, new products and local area marketing. Goli Academy will play a crucial role in creating a culture of operational excellence. From pav making and baking basics to store maintenance, customer service and franchise management, Goli Academy intends to empower the original street vadapav vendors and youth”.

Iyer is also optimistic to establish Goli vadapav brand in the top 10 cities through company owned stores. As per him, “We have built the business based on the product. The power of the product will drive power of people, processes and the brand.” The brand has also seen substantial interest from Dubai and Singapore on having franchises.

Comparing itself with American fast food players like McDonald’s and Domino’s Pizza, Goli Vadapav, which sells over 75,000 vadapavs a day, has carved a niche for itself as an ethnic food chain across the country. Iyer has also expanded his menu from the basic vadapav to to suit local tastes such as Makai Palak vadapav and Schezwan vadapav. He has also launched a range of rolls, all with the vada at the centre.

The founders are looking to raise another round of funding this year of Rs 50-75 crore. In connection to this, Iyer said, “We need funds to support our expansion drive and investment in the long term which includes Goli Academy and sales analytics and training.”

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