Pleasantries N Chat
Contributed By - Radhika Bukka
There is no one recipe for success. Of course, Hardwork is the main ingredient but it is not all. There are various other additional spices or qualities which make one’s success so distinct from another. Which is why AZIndiatimes publishes from time to time its interlocutions with a spectrum of prominent personalities of the Valley to cater to the different tastes and preferences of its readers. In this instance we introduce you to a very much Desi luminary who went out of the norm to not just create a name for himself but in the process regaled the foodaholics with an unrestrained spree of ‘feast’ivity.
Meet Mr. Praveen Nandhikonda, one of the eminent entrepreneurs in the valley. He has been a savior to the die hard fans of Indian street food/fast food savories. With his “Pastries N Chaat” becoming such a huge hit (their fit-for-king Indian delicacies are capable of making every Desi nostalgic), he and his partners are now opening franchises all over the US. AZIndiatimes spoke to Mr.Praveen about his journey to success.
Hello, Mr. Praveen Nandhikonda. With “Pastries N Chaat” hitting it off so well with the Indian community and also with everyone else, we would love to know how did you hit upon this tantalizing idea of starting such Indian restaurant extraordinaire in Arizona's Urban Heart?
We, me and my friends, who share the same passion for food, have come up with this idea. There were not many Indian eateries back then and we really wanted to start a food joint where we get all our snacks and famous food items. No other place had any Indian fast foods as such. We wanted to give Indians the taste of food just as we get in India. Indian cakes, pastries and fast food. Our first location is Phoenix Bell Road location.
Many from the initial group have parted ways though. At present, Madhavi is my business partner, we both are equally passionate about this food business. Madhavi takes care of the Phoenix locations, which gives me more time to concentrate on the franchising and branding.
Congratulations on opening franchises outside of Arizona. Could you tell us about your franchises and your future plans?
Thanks. We had opened our first franchise in Utah in 2015. We are moving all over the US, one at at time. The second one was in Florida, followed by Cary North Carolina, Denver, Fort Lauderdale. Coming up soon are three more locations in Chicago. We have signed up 4 locations in California, some are coming up in New Jersey. By the end of this year we will be having a total of 20 locations all over the US. Our goal is to grow this business to 50 locations by the end of 2020.
That’s really great! As we all know. academically you are a tech person. Tell us about your metamorphosis from technology to gastronomy?
I am an IT guy. I have done my Masters in Computer Networking from London. Later I moved to the US in 2003. In 2005, I have started my own consulting company called “Keshav Consulting.” I sold my company in 2015. I had started an investment company later. At this moment am actively involved in “Pastries N Chaat.”
Quite an interesting transformation. How much employment has been generated through “Pastries N Chaat?”
We have about 20 employees in Phoenix. As we have franchises across US and more are coming up, the employee numbers are only going to increase from here on.
How would you sum up your contributions to the community?
We participate in a lot of local charity organizations here . We also support Goshala, Pratham and few other such organizations. We donate to many non-profit organizations too.
The community is also supporting us very much. We have a substantial number of American customers who pay regular visits to savor our pastries and enjoy our other Indian fares. We will be introducing an à la mode menu soon. We are introducing more healthier options like salads etc. We are open to all kinds of feedback at info@pastriesnchaat.com.
What are the potential impediments in this food business?
As with any other business, there is a lot of stress involved here too. Financial problems would be one of the main handicaps. Another very important impediment would be the employees. Retention of employees is very difficult. With all the training given, if an employee leaves, it’s a difficult situation. Luckily, ours is not a Chef dependent joint. Ours is totally recipe dependent. It would be the same across all franchises.
Sincere respect to your achievement. Thank you for your time and for raising the flavor quotient of the Valley residents to the power of infinity. All the best from AZIndiatimes.