In Conversation with

Ahmedabad is known for its heritage and a rich history and has been awarded with the tag of a World Heritage City by UNESCO. The Indian Mughal emperors known for their love of architecture and food, developed unique cooking styles and recipes wherever they ruled and left a trail of their style of Shahi cuisines in the different territories, of which Ahmedabadi Biryani is one such. While Biryani is cooked in different ways across India, the authentic taste of Ahmedabadi Biryani still remains largely unexplored among the food lovers across the globe.

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Biryani is the highest ordered dish online in India according to official data released by the food-tech aggregators such as Zomato and Swiggy. The organized sector of the same dish is said to be around worth 2500 Crore INR (Around 350 Million USD).

Rolling Plates owned Ahmedabadi Biryani, is widely loved by the local foodies in the state of Gujarat, represents the real taste of the cuisine of walled city of Ahmedabad made from local spices with a secret mix and prepared in “Dum Pukht” style. The deliciously complex blend of flavours, spices, and aromas in the Ahmedabadi Biryani makes it distinct and unmatched with.

How it Started

As per the Founders duo Shihab Sheikh and Falaknaz, It all started with a random thought and the idea was to build a Biryani brand that represents the true essence of the city. The idea got evolved and turned into a concept.

After 2 years of deliberate research & trying every Biryani available around from the street vendors to the branded ones, they zeroed in on the taste that they have been eating since their childhood prepared by the local bhatiyaras (cooks) in and around the Ahmedabad city.

“I personally believed that the taste of this local authentic dum biryani outclassed every other Biryani variant served across India & it has the potential to become a bigger brand than that of our competitors” Shihab Says.

Launched in the year 2018, As expected the local market responded well and within 3 months Ahmedabadi Biryani crossed 300 deliveries a day mark with just two variants of Biryani being served i.e. Chicken & veg.

The biryani recipe is standardized and uses the manufacturing chain to manufacture consistent quality and similar tasting biryani, which is delivered to different parts of the Ahmedabad city.

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Swiggy’s annual report on the country’s food ordering habits revealed that Indians ordered an average of 95 biryanis per minute, or 1.6 biryanis per second, in 2019.

Rolling Plates was co-founded by Shihab Sheikh along with his better half Falaknaz. Shihab, the duo hails from Himmatnagar, a small town located in North Gujarat, Post Graduated as an MBA from St. Joseph’s, Bangalore. Prior to venturing into food delivery segment Shihab spent over a decade in the advertising and brand communication industry in India and abroad working in Bangalore, Mumbai and Dubai.  Falaknaz holds a commerce degree and has previously worked as a visa consultant, currently she looks after operations and new recipes development at Rolling Plates.

As per the Analysts, foodtech may continue to bear the brunt of the corona virus pandemic, with people staying away from restaurants and food outlets. Around 30 percent of smaller dine-in and delivery outlets might not survive this crisis. However, COVID-19 does not worry the founders.

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“People will shift majorly to food delivery with brands that they can trust for safety and hygiene. Rolling Plates has taken all necessary steps to ensure hygiene and safety of employees and consumers.” Says Falaknaz, Co Founder – Ahmedabadi Biryani.

The Future Ahead

Rolling Plates is a food delivery startup that specializes in Cloud Kitchens based virtual Restaurant. Apart from owning Ahmedabadi biryani, Brunch’O’ is their second brand that delivers snack and Breakfast. Rolling Plates is also planning to launch its delivery only main course Mughlai & BBQ brand The Mughal Treat, this year.

“By keeping costs low with a lean and agile model, we can grow faster because we are focused on food delivery.” Says Shihab.

The biryani market in India is estimated to be approximately Rs 2,500 crore in the organised sector, and Rs 25,000 crore in the unorganised sector. The Startup, which competes with the likes of Behrouz, Biryani by KILO, Biryani Blues, Paradise, Daawat E Khaas, Awadhpuri, is set to grow multifold and ready for Pan India expansion. To meet it’s expansion demands Rolling Plates is looking to open it’s maiden round of funding very soon.

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