How two Mumbaikars took the humble Vada Pav to the world

When Sujay Sohani and Subodh Joshi first met at Rizvi College of Hotel Management in 1999 the plan was simple study hospitality do a Masterrsquos abroad get a job and build a stable career in the hospitality industry What neither of them imagined then was that a decade later they would leave secure managerial roles in London to start selling vada pav and cutting chai from a tiny corner inside an ice cream cafeToday their brand has grown to over 20 outlets across the UK with ambitious expansion plans ahead Their journey was serendipitous ldquoWe met at Rizvi and instantly became friendsrdquo recalls Sohani ldquoBy the time college ended we were already best friendsrdquo Both pursued postgraduate studies in hospitality in the UK enrolling at the same college Soon after they landed campus placements at the Hilton at Heathrow TerminalldquoWe started at the very bottomrdquo Joshi says ldquoFrom waiter roles to operations management it was the full ladderrdquoSohani spent a few years at Hilton before moving to a boutique hotel as manager At the same time Joshi moved jobs too first into a backofhouse managerial role and later earning multiple promotionsOver seven years both steadily climbed through the ranks of the hospitality industry But somewhere along the way the idea of building something of their own began to take shapeA craving for home Joshi shares ldquoIn hospitality unless you reach very senior clusterlevel positions itrsquos difficult to make real money working for someone else We always knew we wanted to do something of our ownrdquoIronically the idea arrived during an ordinary walk in a neighbourhood parkSamosa Pav Bhajiya Pav and Misal PavldquoOn our way back we saw a Gujarati guy selling something like a vada pav albeit with burger bunsrdquo Sohani says ldquoThatrsquos when it struck usrdquoFor two boys who had grown up in Mumbai living on vada pav through school and college the absence of authentic Mumbai street food in the UK felt glaring ldquoWe realised no one was doing proper Mumbai street food thererdquo Joshi says ldquoThatrsquos when we thought why not usrdquoThe idea was simple The reality was harderThe duo had no financial backing and limited savings For months they searched for an affordable space to start small Eventually they found one inside a Polish icecream cafe ldquoThere was a tiny pantry that we converted into our kitchenrdquo Sohani remembers ldquoAnd in the cafe area we were given just two tables The rest still belonged to the ice cream shoprdquoOn August 15 2010 more by coincidence than design they opened their doorsThe menu was minimal vada pav dabeli and chaildquoThat was literally itrdquo Sohani says Six months after the launch they the demand was such that they had to expand They called Shri Krishna Vada Pav SKVP The early days demanded relentless hustle Joshi his wife and Sohani ran the operation themselves often working nearly around the clockldquoAt one point we were even carrying kettles and walking around nearby streets selling cutting chairdquo Joshi smiles ldquoThose were hard but good daysrdquo he addsThe humility of those beginnings they believe was shaped long before London Back in Mumbai they recall how their college drilled discipline into its students from day one ldquoWe were told clearly in hospitality you must be ready to do anythingrdquo Joshi says ldquoWash dishes clean toilets mdash whatever it takesrdquoThat mindset stayed with themldquoNothing felt beneath usrdquo he says ldquoSo when we had to go out and sell chai on the street in London we had no hesitationrdquoBeyond the classroom Mumbai itself shaped their ambition In those college years Sohani who grew up in Thane and Joshi from Dadar often rode around the city on a bike passing the seafacing apartments along Carter RoadldquoWe used to look at those buildings and dreamrdquo Sohani laughsThat spirit of aspiration they say travelled with them overseasldquoMumbai gave us the fighting spiritrdquo Joshi saysLondon meanwhile added structureRunning a food business in the UK meant adapting to strict regulatory systems ldquoYou can do jugaad there but only to a certain extentrdquo Sohani says ldquoThe council regulations are extremely strictrdquoHygiene inspections food safety ratings and compliance standards are closely monitored Customers often check a restaurantrsquos hygiene rating before deciding to visit ldquoIf the council tells you to fix something you fix itrdquo he says ldquoTherersquos no workaroundrdquoThe result was a hybrid approach Mumbairsquos resilience combined with Londonrsquos operational disciplineldquoTo put it simplyrdquo Joshi says ldquoMumbai gave us the daring to start The UK taught us how to run it properlyrdquoWhat began with two cafe tables has grown to 23 outlets across the UK with expansion firmly on the horizon The next milestone is scale ldquoWe want to reach at least 100 outletsrdquo says JoshiThe brand has attracted franchise interest from markets such as the US and Canada but the founders are increasingly leaning towards building equityowned stores Their ambitions stretch well beyond a single brand ldquoSKVP is just the beginningrdquo Joshi says ldquoEventually we want a company with 20 or 30 brands under one umbrellardquoFuture ventures could include more streetfood concepts and perhaps even a fivestar hotelFor now however the mission remains unfinishedldquoOur dream is to take vada pav globalrdquo says Sohani transforming it from a Mumbai staple into a mainstream international foodldquoAnd on the tougher daysrdquo Joshi adds ldquothat dream is what keeps us goingrdquoYet even as the business expands across borders the flavours of Mumbai remain their emotional anchorThe formula that workedThe duo says therersquos no formula but three principles come close First persistence Whatever you decide to do donrsquot give up Second quality In food you cannot compromise Third consistency Once you set a standard you must maintain it every single day Those lessons are still guiding the business 15 years laterThe pav problemEven after more than a decade one element of their menu remains a constant challenge the pav ldquoNo one outside Mumbai has truly mastered itrdquo Sohani admits Determined to get as close as possible the founders once flew their British baker to Mumbai to study traditional baking methods ldquoHe visited local bakeries studied the yeast flour everythingrdquo Sujay says Even then something remained elusiveldquoThe weather the water the air it all makes a differencerdquo Joshi says ldquoWersquore about 95 per cent there That last 5 per cent is still missingrdquoFirst thing you order when in MumbaiSubodh Joshi Misal pav at Anand Bhuvan in LalbaugSujay Sohani Pav bhaji at Shivsagar misal from Mamledar Thane