How street food is targeting Indian market?

Indian Food Market

The F&B industry is picking up business in India, with evolution of different cuisines ready to tap $258 billion food market in India by 2015. Not only fusion food and casual dining sector is making its way into the industry, but the street food, for which India is known for years, is hitting the Indian restaurant market.

Evolution of street foods

With changing time, we have seen new players entering the street food segment in India by launching ventures such as Chai Point in a traditional thela format or serving pani puri in a designed outlet.

Food is changing every day and people want to try best of everything from street food to Michelin Star Restaurants. Street food is very much into fashion because of the cost effectiveness and unbeatable taste and flavour.

Hence, if restaurateurs could successfully elevate hygiene and presentation level of street food, then they can emerge as a clear winner in the street food segment. Not only this, many five star hotels are following the same trend and have included street food items in their menu.

Amit Burman operated Lite Bite Foods which serves street food under its brand Punjab Grill shares, “We offer street food at Punjab Grill. People like food that are available on roadside eateries, be it Chaat in Delhi, Glouti Kabab in Lucknow or Vada Pav in Mumbai. But they are scared of eating it because of various hygiene factors. So, we are trying to bring all the street food to people in a more hygienic form, where they can trust the eating environment.”

Meanwhile, our country witnesses a large number of foreign travellers visiting famous Indian cities which are on tourist hotspot radar. This trend is also backed by the foreigners who like to eat and taste the local food of that particular area, which again is giving rise to many street food joints in the country.

“We try to give both - local and authentic regional taste to each of our restaurants serving a particular food or cuisine. We have also started serving street food, catering to the needs of international customers and giving them a taste of our local food,” says Chef Subrata Debnath, Executive chef, Hyatt Regency, Chennai, which has a high footfall of travellers every year.

Serving right on time

As the winter sets its tone in the country, the street food in Delhi is rightly catering to the foodies in the city, who are always ready to feast on good food. From Paratha to Paaya, Nahari, Gajak and Moongphali, the roadside eateries in the cities are decorated in the festive mode. Places like Purani Dilli, Chandni Chowk, CR Park, Zakir Nagar and GK II could be seen offering these winter delights priced very reasonably for customers.

Hence, emergence of the street food segment in India can be seen as a new segment entering the quick food or easy to grab market, which focuses both on quality and taste.