Industry Fast food Website jumboking.co.in Founded 2001 Type Privately held company | Products Vada pav Headquarters Mumbai Number of locations 46 (2013) | |
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Founder Dheeraj Gupta
Reeta Gupta Area served MMR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Aurangabad and Gujarat | ||
Jumbo King is a chain of fast food restaurants based primarily in Mumbai, specialising in the Maharashtrian regional dish vada pav. Established in 2001 by husband and wife Dheeraj and Reeta Gupta, the company was inspired by the fast food business model of McDonald's and Burger King. Jumbo King Foods Pvt. Ltd is a franchisee-based company that operates across many areas of India. From its beginnings in Malad, a suburb of Mumbai, it has spread across the whole Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), as well as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Aurangabad and Gujarat.
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History
An earlier franchisee of Burger King, the Guptas, on their visit to London, realised that fast food could also work in India. Vada pav was their first idea, as the food had to be portable. In 2001 the Guptas opened their first restaurant at Malad, with an initial investment of ₹200,000 (US$3,000), which they borrowed from his family. The outlet was initially named Chaat Factory (Snack Factory), and vada pav was sold at ₹5, despite street vendors selling the same product for ₹2. The name was later changed to Jumbo King. Gupta faced opposition from his family, who thought he was wasting his MBA by selling vada pavs.
Vada pav is a popular vegetarian dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra, although it has been losing its reputation in past few years. The places where the food is now cooked and sold are often polluted, and it is considered a "poor man's food". The people of Mumbai and Thane consume about 18–lakh (1.8–2 million) units of vada pav, with stiff competition mainly from the unhygienic street vendors in the city. In contrast, Jumbo King cooks and sells the food in hygienic conditions.
As of 2010, the chain had 30 outlets in Mumbai, selling an average of 40,000 vada pavs everyday, priced between ₹ 8 and ₹ 16 apiece.
Timeline
Menu
A Jumbo King vada pav consists of a batata vada (a spicy deep-fried potato patty) in a pav (bread roll), similar in size and shape to a Quarter Pounder. Jumbo King is considered Mumbai's first branded vada pav, and is the largest selling brand. The pav used by Jumbo King was designed by Salim Malik, who dropped out of college to help run his father's bakery. Thanks to work with Jumbo King, their bakery has become the largest dealer of pavs in Borivli. They offer Lassi, a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the Indian subcontinent, as well as Pepsi products.