From a Tk 13 pulao to a five-storey building: a Naogaon biryani shop now feeds 600-700 people a day
A biryani and pulao shop in Naogaon town began with dal, roti and tea. After a first batch of pulao from 2 kg of rice in 1980 sold out, it grew step by step and now employs 22 people.
On Dharmatala Road in Naogaon town, a shop started in 1974 selling dal, roti and tea. The father made the rotis and his teenage son served. In 1980 an order for rooster pulao came in for a businessman's event. The son cooked pulao from 2 kg of rice and 10 chickens, but nobody came to collect the order. That evening a young man dropped in, ate the pulao and roast and loved it; the price was Tk 13. He came back with friends and about 40 people ate by night. The next day the son cooked 3 kg of rice and 12 chickens, and again it sold out. The shop was then a tin-shed, bamboo-walled room seating six; later it seated 12. As the father stepped back, the son cooked himself and hired a helper. Today they own a five-storey building with a restaurant on the first floor (56-60 seats at once) and a community centre on the second. Mutton biryani is Tk 200 a plate, rooster pulao and kacchi Tk 180. About 600-700 people eat there each day across lunch and dinner, 80 kg of rice is cooked daily, and 22 people work there. Meat is bought from the local market, and mustard oil in the biryani gives its distinct taste. In 2018 the district administration named it the district's best hotel.
Lessons
- 1.Start small and scale the batch with the sales you see: here from 2 kg of rice to 3 kg, then step by step to a bigger shop.
- 2.A distinct taste (such as mustard oil) and focus on a few items builds word-of-mouth reputation.
- 3.As the shop grows, keeping it in the family and splitting the work among brothers makes it easier to run.
We published this with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.
Discussion
Nobody has written anything yet. You can be the first.