Gaurav Sabharwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Wok Boyz, firmly believes that ‘everything happens for a reason,’ a mantra that serves him well as he heads to India after diversifying the street food scene in Dubai.
Gaurav Sabharwal has always been fascinated by how food and flavours bring us together and create amazing memories. It was after 15-years of corporate stint in some of the world’s largest companies, he embraced his two passions – food and entrepreneurship. His stint with IDC as the Head of Business Development for MEA and Turkey allowed him to spot the gaps in Dubai’s vibrant food scene and what it was missing. His entrepreneurial journey started off when he and two of his friends came together to create Wok Boyz in 2017. Within a year the trio opened another branch in Dubai Internet City and has ambitious plans to expand globally including in India.
Two years might appear to be a small period; however, we have worked a lot on the brand, process and food innovation. Within just two years of our existence, we have caught senses of the consumers in Dubai. In fact, we have sold over 1 lakh Wok boxes in the last 12 months. We are recording over 200 deliveries per day for the last 6 months. Hence, people are appreciating our concept and taste.
We are now planning to try our luck in the Indian Territory, which is known to appreciate spicy, multi-cuisine and street-based delicacies. We are just trying to offer them various kinds of flavours on the healthier side. Being a cool and urban brand, our free-style Wok concept will definitely tantalize the taste-buds of the millennials in India. Not only India, we are expanding to counties like the UK, Canada and Philippines.
What is your brand USP?
At Wok Boyz, customers have the freedom to create meals as per their choice, without bothering about lengthy menus and too many options. This is literally what you create.
Every single customer is given the freedom in the form of choice to customise their meals or dishes accordingly, promoting customisation and transparency. Since we provide a healthy touch to every street food offering, transparency will act as a strong pillar to achieve success in India and worldwide.
India already has large presence of brands offering Asian cuisine. How do you plan to address the competition?
Competition has never bothered me. In fact, it is one of the ways where you could learn and understand the latest happenings in the industry and how the segment is evolving with time. Thus, competition is always healthy to build a really successful business.
Further, Dubai also offers a similar scenario with multiple Asian and Wok-based food brands. But despite tough competition, we have been successfully growing; we have expanded to another location in Dubai Internet City within a year of our establishment.
What is your franchising strategy for India?
We are looking for area developers and master franchises to expand our business through franchising Pan-India. At the unit-level, net investment of Rs 29-32 lakh would be required. The payback period is usually around two years. An ideal outlet should be around 600 sq ft for high-street model and 500 sq ft for a food-court model.
What are your criteria for franchise selection?
We expect franchisees to develop and manage various opportunities throughout the country. The franchisee may not necessarily be from the F&B background; however, they must have the insights about the industry and the respective territory. Most importantly, we look for their passion for food business which can complement our efforts.
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