Move over burgers, pani puri now just a call away
Stall owner Vishnu Godpode interacts with customers on SMS, maintains a website and keeps track of bookings through customer identification numbers
By Yogesh Avasthi And Dhwani Pathak
Posted On Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 03:05:10 AM (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2008122520081225030510376b63f589e )
Vishnu regularly updates his 500-odd customers about his servicesYears ago when his other ventures failed, Vishnu Godpode tried out the ‘pani puri’ business. He soon struck roots, refined the product, added value and took it to a new level. Today, Godpode takes orders on phone and keeps track of bookings through customer identification numbers.Located near HL commerce college, the outlet is called ‘IIM Mineralwater panipuri’. And Godpode’s product and business practices too live up to the hallowed name he has adopted. Like a trendy fast-food outlet, Godpode’s shop also boasts of a website — blurrp.com. It carries reviews of people who’ve had the stuff more than once. He regularly updates his 500-odd customers about his services. Says an entry on the website, “Better book your this lip-smacking pani puri well in advance before he runs out of stock.” Bookings are stopped at 8 pm as by then he has more work than he can do justice to.Says Godpode, “All my customers are given identification numbers. We take orders only till 8 pm, and thereafter concentrate on delivering the orders.” If for some reason he is not able to meet an a committed order, he SMSes the customer to give him the reason.The customers just can’t stop lavishing praise for the pani puri. “I had not expected this quality from a roadside stall. It is as good as one gets in a 3-star or 5-star hotel.”All this because Godpode is fastidious about quality. The chutneys and potatoes he uses are absolutely hygienic for he keeps them fresh in a specially-chilled boxes. He says, “I keep reading books on Ayurveda which keep me abreast with healthy products and ingredients. The water is free of citric acid and healthy.”Godpode hit upon the ideal mix after a lot of trials and getting people sample various tastes for free. And while his sandwiches are also a hit, he says there’s nothing to beat his biscuit toppings. “We serve Monaco biscuits with a variety of toppings,” he says. Godpode wishes to touch a turnover of Rs 25 crore in a few years, and has the Dhirubhai Ambani story for inspiration.
By Yogesh Avasthi And Dhwani Pathak
Posted On Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 03:05:10 AM (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2008122520081225030510376b63f589e )
Vishnu regularly updates his 500-odd customers about his servicesYears ago when his other ventures failed, Vishnu Godpode tried out the ‘pani puri’ business. He soon struck roots, refined the product, added value and took it to a new level. Today, Godpode takes orders on phone and keeps track of bookings through customer identification numbers.Located near HL commerce college, the outlet is called ‘IIM Mineralwater panipuri’. And Godpode’s product and business practices too live up to the hallowed name he has adopted. Like a trendy fast-food outlet, Godpode’s shop also boasts of a website — blurrp.com. It carries reviews of people who’ve had the stuff more than once. He regularly updates his 500-odd customers about his services. Says an entry on the website, “Better book your this lip-smacking pani puri well in advance before he runs out of stock.” Bookings are stopped at 8 pm as by then he has more work than he can do justice to.Says Godpode, “All my customers are given identification numbers. We take orders only till 8 pm, and thereafter concentrate on delivering the orders.” If for some reason he is not able to meet an a committed order, he SMSes the customer to give him the reason.The customers just can’t stop lavishing praise for the pani puri. “I had not expected this quality from a roadside stall. It is as good as one gets in a 3-star or 5-star hotel.”All this because Godpode is fastidious about quality. The chutneys and potatoes he uses are absolutely hygienic for he keeps them fresh in a specially-chilled boxes. He says, “I keep reading books on Ayurveda which keep me abreast with healthy products and ingredients. The water is free of citric acid and healthy.”Godpode hit upon the ideal mix after a lot of trials and getting people sample various tastes for free. And while his sandwiches are also a hit, he says there’s nothing to beat his biscuit toppings. “We serve Monaco biscuits with a variety of toppings,” he says. Godpode wishes to touch a turnover of Rs 25 crore in a few years, and has the Dhirubhai Ambani story for inspiration.
