There are a variety of diverse cuisines that would instantly capture your soul in Delhi. But if you’d have to pick your favorite, we would be surprised if you’d not say Chole Kulche in a skip of a heartbeat. The prevalent dish of spicy chickpea curry paired with fluffy, buttery bread is a match made in paradise. And one mother-son duo took the handmade chole kulche to the streets of Delhi, while of course, appending their unique revolution to it. 69-year-old Sunila Bahl, a homemaker, and architect son, Gaurav, used indigenous recipes and secret family elements to whip up various varieties of kulchas in their quick-service Delhi eatery, Koolchas. Here’s their story
The Inspiration To Start Kulchas
In May 2016, Gaurav, an architect, realized that the real estate business showed indications of slowing down. With 20-years of expertise in the industry, the MBA graduate decided to use his time to open his own business. As he was a foodie, he determined to pour his love for food into a profession after a friend’s recommendation. But he didn’t want to copy any of the existing models in the market. Instead, Gaurav wanted to start something distinct, which no one had ever done before. One day, the solopreneur was very greedy, having gone without a bite until 4 pm, that’s when he sighted a kulche chole wall, and he captured his eureka moment. Gaurav determined to open a quick-service restaurant (QSR) for chole kulche. After all, many quick-service restaurants(QSRs) in India for pizzas, burgers, rolls, wraps, and vada pavs. But none for chole kulche. This was the origin of Koolchas.
Mother-Son Unite To Form Chole Kulcha Magic
With the novel idea of a quick-service restaurant solely serving various kulchas, Gaurav requested his home-chef mother, 69-year-old Sunila Bahl. He said to The Better India that his mother has always been a superb cook who has been lip-smacking preparing foods using family recipes for the past 50 years. On knowing about her son’s food venture, Sunila instantly jumped on board. She handled everything from developing recipes, blending spices, preserving the quality of ingredients, setting up prices, to training the staff. Sunila breathlessly watched food channels to learn various recipes and improve them.
Starting The First Koolchas Outlet In Gurugram
After two years of tireless research and analysis, trial and error with recipes, and development, Koolchas opened its first restaurant in 2018 in Sushant Lok, Gurugram, Sushant Lok, Gurugram. The QSR aimed to take the rustic food from the streets into a delicately organized restaurant. Gaurav Said to Your Story that through Koolchas he desired to remove people’s anxieties around dust, hygiene, and other quality anxieties that you’d find at a roadside kulcha stall. Koolchas attempts to solve these problems by preparing preservative-free food using homemade Masala elements and live kitchens.
A Pleasant Menu For All Ages
At Koolchas, somebody can gorge on various delicious kulchas like Aloo Pyaaz, Paneer Masala, Channa Punjabi, Nutri Keema, and more. The prices for these kulchas differ from ₹59 for a small plate of matar kulcha to ₹249 for a regular scale of chicken Chaudhary. To engage kids, Koolchas also serves kulcha pizzas, sandwiches, heart, and star-shaped kulchas. They also added whole wheat flour kulcha as a more robust alternative. Their consumers range from children above ten years of age to senior citizens above 60.
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Koolchas Records Lakhs Of Revenue Every Month
Gaurav and Sunila Bahl’s Koolchas, spread its aroma all over Gurugram. Soon, they also started their second store in Delhi-NCR. The startup revealed to Your Story that they enrolled over 10,000 customers in the very first year of their service. The sales at their first outlet grew from ₹2 lakh in the first month to ₹6 lakh per month, within ten months of starting operations. They add nearly 500 to 700 new consumers every month per outlet.
Preservative-Free Homemade Chole Kulche At Your Doorstep
While the founders intended to open more outlets in Delhi, the coronavirus pandemic halted their plans. Nevertheless, Koolchas quickly adapted to the circumstance and made safety their priority. During the lockdown, they initially observed an average of 100 customers per day. Today, they cater to over 60 orders every day, and they continue to grow. Koolchas prioritized hygiene and resumed offering the best quality food with homemade ingredients at the doorsteps of consumers.
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Accommodating the situation and developing their business model has helped them survive amid the pandemic. What commenced as a homemade revolution to street food now satisfies the chole kulche desires of hundreds of consumers across Delhi and Gurugram. So, are you up for a plate of tasty chole kulche, ring up Koolchas!