Once washed dishes as employee, today this man owns a cafe chain with 50 outlets and clocks ₹8 Cr in annual revenue.

What can be more "Chatpata" than an Indian street food affair?

Taking inspiration from the "Chatpata" vibe of Indian street foods and the sweet and salty "Affair" of spices in Indian food, Shiju Pappen from Gurugram founded the food venture "The Chatpata Affairs" in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The food entrepreneur is determined to give Indian street food its deserved place by bringing regional delicacies into the limelight while keeping it all vegetarian and hygienic. A street food experience that is both- upscale and accessible.

Imagine a plate of litti chokha from Bihar or crispy tangy chat from North India- all at a hygienic restaurant setup. The vision of The Chatpata Affairs's founder behind this tangy venture is as ambitious as it is delicious: to make Indian street foods the "king" in front of burgers and pizzas worldwide.

The Chatpata Affairs menu has nearly 200 items, from breakfast dishes to dinner options, including fusion dishes such as Chaat, Bhalle chaat, Papri Chaat, Badam milk, Rolls, Sandwiches, Shakes, etc.

From Cleaning Floors to Entrepreneurship: 

The Chatpata Affairs founder, Shiju Pappen, comes from a small town in Rajasthan. At a very young age, he lost both his mother and father, which made him start working to earn a living.

He moved to Delhi for work in 1997 and started working with Pizza Hut as a team member, where he would do everything from cleaning the restaurant to serving customers and cleaning utensils. In short, doing everything to manage the restaurant.   

Shiju, during the interview with Startup Pedia, said, "I was earning only Rs. 5000-6000 per month for almost a year straight. It was tough to manage rent, electricity and food. However, I had no option but to manage with whatever I was earning."

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With over two decades of experience, he became the CEO of Southern Fried Chicken. He was managing operations across multiple countries. However, he had a constant urge to establish his own venture.

The Chatpata Affair Journey: 

Starting a business usually begins as a simple dream that grows into a passionate journey. But for Shiju, it was his years of experience in the multinational giants of the fast food industry that gave him a chance to find out the gap.

He observed the less-popularity of Indian fast foods as compared to Western fast foods.

"Samosas and Chaats deserve the same appeal as burgers and pizzas," Said the Gurugram-based food entrepreneur during the interview with Startup Pedia.

That's how a venture rooted in authentic Indian cuisine came into the picture.

Starting a venture during the COVID-19 pandemic got as challenging as it could. The surge in space rents made Shiju choose a mobile cart model for his food venture.

He started The Chatpata Affairs with an investment of only Rs. 5 lakh and a small dedicated team taking up multiple responsibilities - from cooking to customer service.

"I was a CEO while I was in the corporate world, but when I started my business, I did everything from selling food to washing dishes. Thanks to my early-stage experience,” added the founder.

Launching with only a few items, the food venture has now turned into a food chain with a presence across 50 locations nationwide. Among the 50 existing locations, Chatpata Affairs has its prominent location on Church Street, Bangalore; Nanganalur, Chennai; Ambience Mall, Gurgaon; and some universities in Hyderabad, among others.

The Bangalore food venture operates through both franchisee and company-owned models. Out of 50 locations, 40 are franchisee, and 10 are company-owned.

"Since we are a bootstrapped business, we heavily rely on the franchisee model to expand our presence," said the founder of The Chatpata Affairs during the Startup Pedia interview.

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Explaining their franchisee model, Shiju said that each of the food outlet setups occupies a modest 200 square feet and needs an investment of approximately Rs. 5-6 lakh. These are mainly carts or kiosks, and monthly profits range between Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 70,000.

The food venture has 200 employees working under its payroll.

The Chatpata Affairs Revenue: 

The food venture had seen slow growth in the initial 2 years. It generated revenue of around Rs. 2 lakh per month with only two outlets. However, after two years, it ventured into the franchisee model and is now growing like a Chinese bamboo tree.

In FY-23, the revenue of The Chatpata Affairs venture skyrocketed to 6 crores, which then grew to Rs. 8 crore in FY-24.

The founder shared an ambitious goal during the Startup Pedia interview by saying, "We are expecting Rs. 1000 crore revenue by 2027 as we have big expansion plans."

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The Plan Ahead:

The Bangalore-based food venture plans to reach 100 outlets by the end of March 2025. By 2027, the food venture is expected to burgeon into 500 outlets. Which the founder of The Chatpata Affairs believes will generate Rs. 1000 crore annually together.

The venture also plans to expand across the Middle East, Europe and the US.

While the founder has an ambitious expansion plan, he aims to ensure that food quality will always be the priority.

Shiju has come a long way from being a team member to running a million-dollar business. However, he lives a humble life. While sharing some wisdom from his life for budding entrepreneurs during the Startup Pedia interview, he said that entrepreneurship is seen as a glamorous success from the outside. But the reality is known to those who have walked the path.

"I believe it's a journey with patience and perseverance. And, not at all a lottery ticket to instant wealth or success," signed off Shiju Pappen, founder of The Chatpata Affairs.

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