: For 21 Years, I’d Never Even Seen A Burger; Today My Outlets Earn Rs 9 Crore/Year #IndiaNEWS #Entrepreneurs Coming from a small town in Maharashtra, I fondly remember making a mandatory trip to

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For 21 Years, I’d Never Even Seen A Burger; Today My Outlets Earn Rs 9 Crore/Year #IndiaNEWS #Entrepreneurs
Coming from a small town in Maharashtra, I fondly remember making a mandatory trip to McDonald’s every time I visited Mumbai. There were not many burger brands then, and global Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains were among the first to give Indians an actual taste of the food item. But outlets of these multinational brands penetrated Tier II and III cities much later.
So when Biraja Rout says, “I had never seen a burger in 21 years of my life,� it does not come as a surprise to me.
A native of Bhubaneshwar, Biraja moved to Bengaluru in 2011 to work at Infosys. “I was aware of the famous vada pav from Mumbai, but I had never seen a burger all my life. I was aghast to know that despite its existence across the world as well as in some parts of India, it was unavailable in my hometown,� he tells The Better India.
Biraja learned about the burger when he visited Mcdonald’s. “I lived in the electronic city and could see pizza chains, but there were no KFC or other global burger brands then,� he says.
Chicken Krunch burger.
Intrigued by the product, he started researching and learned that there were hardly any Indian burger brands or QSR chains in Bengaluru. Over the months, his love of burgers only grew. “Initially, I spent weekends exploring the city and travelling around the outskirts. But eventually, I became exhausted, and decided to use my weekends to convert my love for burgers into a business,� the 33-year-old says.
Today, his burger chain Biggies Burger has 46 outlets across 14 cities, earning him crores.
Starting small
Biraja belongs to a middle-class family, where his father was a government employee. “I had academic qualifications of an IT professional and had no experience in business whatsoever,� he recalls.
He then learned about burgers on YouTube to understand the different ingredients that went into preparing different varieties. “I dove into the entire process of making buns, patties, veggies and sauces. I watched videos and referred to international publications, especially in the USA and Germany. I also read blogs that focussed on diversification of burgers,� he says.
He learned about fried, grilled, and other types of burgers. “Offering a variety of burgers was a usual practice abroad. But in India, there were mainly fried patty burgers. I realised that the market had the potential to grow and mature over the years,� he notes.
The IT professional rented a 55 feet space near his office and spent weekends selling burgers. “I hired a home chef to prepare the burgers, and bought a kiosk from a fabricator to start Biggies Burger,� Biraja says.

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