Samosa Party wants to make samosas fresh, crisp and consistent while innovating with the fillings. And it wants to take them to the world.
While for some the very idea of innovation when it comes to samosas is anathema, there are others who are keen to push the envelope and go bravely where no one has gone before. QSR brand Samosa Party is definitely in the second category.
It all began with techie Amit Nanwani ‘following his gut’ after working in the corporate world for a few years. Always having been a foodie, Amit realised that most of Indian cities did not offer any reliable and sanitary street food options that would satisfy the cravings of crores of Indians. This sparked an idea in him and, in 2017, he took a leap of faith and opened a small samosa outlet in Bengaluru’s Jeevan Bima Nagar. That was a period of testing the waters and laying the groundwork. Samosa Party officially started with full force in 2019. The brand recently ventured into the Delhi-NCR market. Combining his technology education with his penchant for food, Amit now heads the product, technology, and growth divisions at Samosa Party, ensuring that the ship sails smoothly with a tech-enabled food chain.
Amit was joined in 2020 by co-founder Diksha Pande. Diksha has worked in the F&B industry for over a decade where she had several successful stints, from working as the head of innovations at Pizza Hut to being the Vice President at Chai Point. In the middle of the pandemic, Diksha decided to take a leap of faith and joined Amit to “work on revolutionising the QSR market with Samosa Party.”
Speaking about the inspiration behind Samosa Party, Amit says, “We wanted to uplift the quality and perception of Indian snacks. In the name of taste, people compromised on quality and hygiene. We deserved better and we felt that the samosa is the ideal candidate to anchor the brand around. It’s the ultimate unifier, everyone’s favourite. The idea came when we were thinking of an Indian food product that can scale globally and samosa was the unanimous choice.”
The biggest USP of Samosa party’s samosas is that they are fried fresh on every order. “Each Samosa Party is a fresh, hot and crispy experience,” says Diksha, “Moreover, each and every samosa is engraved with the name of the filling which is very unique to Samosa Party, so if you see 100 samosas from different places, you will know which one is from Samosa Party.”
Besides being fried fresh every time and paired with a plethora of chutneys, Samosa Party uses best-in-class heat-retaining flasks for the accompanying tea to ensure a hot cup every time a customer pours to drink it. The product offerings include a specially catered breakfast menu, tea time combos, chaats, cold beverages, The Party Bucket (10 mini samosas) and The Party Box (50 Punjabi Aloo samosas). Then there are regional favourites to cater to every craving. “Since our processes are tech enabled, that allows us to deliver each order in 30 minutes,” says Amit.
The brand is currently serving 15 types of samosa fillings across three formats and three sizes. The focus is on variety and product innovation as Samosa Party keeps pushing the limit! “Some of our best sellers include Onion Patti Samosa, Mutton Keema Samosa, Corn & Cheese Samosa, but the most loved product is the Punjabi Aloo Samosa,” says Amit.
In India, regional samosa loyalties run deep and customers are very particular about how their samosas should taste. Are they warming to Samosa Party’s experimental flavours? “We have introduced many interesting products such as the Mutton Keema Samosa, Jodhpuri Aloo Pyaaz, Onion Patti Samosa (Irani Samosa),” says Diksha, “The most exciting concept we have introduced is the Bucket Of The Month. Through this concept we introduce a new and exciting samosa every month. Pizza Samosa, Tex Mex Samosa, Pinwheel Samosa have all been warmly received by our customers. This April we launched one of our most ambitious products yet — the Cheese Burst Samosa!”
Samosa Party has managed to keep its product offerings consistent across the different geographies it operates in. “We have used production and food technology only where it is needed to improve the consistency of the product and standardise the process,” explains Amit, “So if you’re tasting our products in Bengaluru or in Gurugram, you get the same taste and experience. We have not tried to change or tamper with the art and craft of samosa making. That’s why they all look standardised but are hand crafted.”
Samosa Party does seasonal specials as well. Recently, the brand did a Holi Special Menu which had everyone’s favourite Holi essentials gujiyas and thandai. “We had also done a special menu for Navratri,” says Amit, “and always keep in mind what our customers want during particular seasons or occasions to go along with our variety of samosas.”
According to Amit, the feedback so far “has been overwhelming”. “We’ve had customers tell us that our samosas are their comfort food, their go-to place for a gathering and we’ve also had customers gift Samosa Party samosas to their near and dear ones,” he says, “We’ve kept our ears close to the ground and strive to work on all the feedback we receive.”
Hygiene and safety are priority, and the chefs follow strict food safety and hygiene protocols at every step. Digital dominance is helping the brand focus on delivery first, accessibility and making the entire experience economical. Samosa Party’s target audience is 21 to 45, segmented into several brackets, with the main TA being the 25 to 35 age bracket. Amit and Diksha are currently working on expanding the brand to key metros. The brand is currently present in four states and plans to launch soon in two, covering India’s top six cities.
Speaking on the brand philosophy, Amit says, “We are trying to build an omni-channel QSR which is delivery-first. For the longest time in India the QSR sector has been dominated by foreign cuisines. Indian snacks had lost their place in this search for the next best thing. Samosa Party is bringing that back by elevating the experience through quality, hygiene and creating a world-class product around India’s most loved snack, the samosa! The idea came when we were thinking of an Indian food product that can scale globally and samosa was the unanimous choice.”
“Today’s consumer is a global citizen and works at different time zones so why should fresh samosas be only available in the evening in the same old newspaper/paper bags,” adds Diksha, “Our stores are available for delivery even when you’re craving samosas at 3 am in the morning.”
According to Samosa Party, six crore samosas are consumed in India every day. This possibly makes it India’s most consumed and loved snack. And Samosa Party wants to take the party to the world.
Read more.