Mumbai’s authentic Vada Pav has now managed to cross the seven seas to reach London.
Two childhood friends -- Sujay Sohni and Subodh Joshi from Mumbai -- started the business of Vada Pav in London on August 15 in 2010.
The name of this hotel is 'Shrikrishna Vada Pav' (SKVP).
At this place, you will get to taste authentic Marathi food, however, the most special dish is Vada Pav. In just one pound you can taste Vada Pav at this restaurant.
In the last ten years, they managed to open chains of restaurants. Recently, they started the fifth restaurant in August despite the lockdown, also employing 40 people.
The two became billionaires by selling Vada Pav. Gradually they started adding other Indian dishes to the menu.
There is a variety of Vada Pav available like Butter Vada Pav, Schezwan Vada Pav and others. If you look at the menu card, you will see that only Indian or Marasthrian dishes are available there.
Born in Thane, Sujay was a manager in a five-star hotel in London. But after losing his job in the wave of recession, he reached the house of his friend 'Subodh Joshi'.
Sujay and Subodh studied together at Rizvi College. After completing their education, the two got a job in an IT company in London. With chances of survival looking bleak, Sohani reached out to his college-mate, Subodh Joshi, for help.
In the course of his speech, Sujay said, "I don't even have money to eat Vada Pav." Days later, Sohani struck on the idea to start a vada pav chain in London during the anxious times. Soon, the duo decided to give it some serious thought and started looking for possible venues in the city, where they could open a stall.
After searching, they found a place in a ‘Polish ice cream cafe’. As the cafe was at a loss, the owner rented it out at £400 (INR 35,000) per month.
Seven years on, three branches and an annual turnover of £5,00,000 (INR 4.39 crores approx). Later, the duo -- both of whom hail from Mumbai -- has become a force to reckon with on London's street food scene.
On August 15, 2010, Sohani and Joshi opened their stall to Londoners.
They started selling Vadapav at £1 (INR 80) and Dabeli at £1.50 (INR 131). But the big question for them was how to attract customers. For this, they decided to advertise. But it would cost more. So they implemented a concept.
The two began distributing free Vada Pav on the streets of London. This led to their advertisement. Saying ‘Indian burgers, cheap and cool’, this desi vada pav was accepted by the people of London.
The marketing fund of both of them came in handy, but now a big space was needed. At the same time, a Punjabi hotel offered to do business with him. The two immediately agreed, and the business, which started at a small stall, turned into a business with an annual income of INR 4.40 crores.
In a short time, they opened another restaurant in Harrow, London. Along with all the commoners, celebrities and political leaders also visit here. MNS president Raj Thackeray has also visited these restaurants. Apart from this, many Bollywood and Marathi artists come here to taste Vada Pav.
Subodh and Sujoy will also start SKVP restaurants in many other countries. Now they are both working to take the SKVP brand to the international level. He is accompanied by his wife and some old office colleagues.
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