Young*Stars* today are willing to initiate and experiment
With the onset of monsoon, my taste buds start craving for some awesome delicacies. Usually first rains made me relish street Maggi but this time had to be different and my car turned towards HL College lane, which is an Adda for food lovers. And there I happened to see one such similar name ‘Apna Adda’. The name made me feel that I should try something new this time and not just by taste, I got to know something new about today’s youth, their thoughts & spirit to do something different. I had a quick chat with the co founder Kajal Shah (TY student HLIC) while savoring the super yummy Paneer Frankie with mayonnaise & cheese.
People who often think that ‘I want to do something’ but do nothing should read this:
Short brief about Apna Adda – When did it start and what made you select this name?
In gujju culture, if we like a place we refer to it as “Apdo Addo” or ‘’Apna Adda’’ so that’s how we came up with the name. It started on Feb. 5th 2015
At this age what inspired you to go ahead with this start up?
As girls we did not want to be simply termed as ‘marriage material’. We wanted to come out of that stereotype as Girls are so much more capable than that. We wanted to earn on our own. We had observed that people get addicted to junk food like Maggie, so we decided to start our own food kart which would serve healthy food. And what better than barbeque when it comes to health? I insisted my Sister in law who was working in McDonalds for 6-7 years in USA to start our own food chain through carts. There are n-number of cafes in Ahmedabad but the classiness of fast food on streets is still missing, something which we adore in Mumbai. We were confident that if we could work for someone else’s brand i.e. McDonald’s and manage their store then we can also make and manage our own brand and then the idea kick started.
In spite of various options like Italian, Mexican, Sandwiches, Vadapav, Maggi, Makai, what made you choose Frankies??
Firstly, Frankies sold in Ahmedabad are totally different. Frankies here are made with Maida ki roti (mostly) with salad or fried potato tikki inside. We tried barbeque rolls in Mumbai once and they were very healthy so we decided to bring that concept to Ahmedabad as well since vegetarian barbeque would be something unique on the streets.
Did you fear starting this in front of your own college or was it a conscious decision? As a girl, how do you deal with notorious groups who land up?
The feeling was more of excitement when I thought to start it across my college. Moreover I was determined to set an example that even girls can do anything if they really want to. And as far as fear is concerned, I would say NO because I believe people can only walk on you if you allow them to. I have always been strong and confident so there have been no such issues about dealing with people.
View of your family and friends
My family has been very supportive.
My family always wanted me to be a strong independent woman and therefore they have constantly supported me in all my decisions.
But don’t ask about “friends” all the college friends would say that ‘tu to “LAARI” wali hai n all’ n they would make fun of us ki “a venture by HL College girls” likh k ullu bana rahe hai logo ko n all.
Our simple approach was that we are proud that we earn our own bread n butter and we don’t ask for petrol na Paisa to our parents every day morning. :p
What’s next on mind?
Currently we have started 2 more branches of Apna Adda. So in near future I wish to expand my business and who knows we might come up with new varieties as well 🙂
Well for me it’s genuinely a very impressive story of today’s youth ☺ Proud of such girls who break the barriers & come up with their own vision at the age of 19. Kudos Kajal Shah!
5 Comments
Ashok says:
June 26, 2015 at 7:27 am
Superb… way to go kajal. Its just the beginning. Stay blessed
RJ Aditi says:
July 20, 2015 at 7:10 pm
🙂 THNKS EVERYONE
Ronak Vora says:
June 26, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Super Proud well done girls such a hard competition and fantastic results
Harsh dwivedi says:
July 1, 2015 at 12:26 am
Finally, i see a girl of my age in ahmedabad exploring her venture with such a confidence and excitement. Inspired me to do what i want to do.
Thanks, aditi raval – rj and kajal.
RJ Aditi says:
July 20, 2015 at 7:11 pm
gO aHEAD HARSH