This one would be a personal favorite. I mean it’s momos. Everybody loves momos (yes everybody). This delicacy, originating in Nepal, Tibet and the North Eastern part of India, has the capability to fill every household with nostalgia, in the times of home quarantine. I won’t tempt you further, but each and everyone of us knows that one place in the neighborhood that serves the best momos right? So how about fast-food chains that dish out momos at their outlets?

Wow! Momo, an Indian chain of fast-food restaurants, that was started off in Kolkata, West Bengal in 2008 by Sagar Daryani and Binod Homagai, continues to break-out into the fast food scene. It is astounding to track its journey as it began with a mere investment of 30,000 rupees to begin with, to where it has reached now (registered 120 crore in profit for the fiscal year 2018-19).

      From selling momos off a small kiosk, that involved apprehending loitering strangers with a free helping of momos to spanning over 150 outlets across 10 major cities across India, Wow Momo manages to dazzle every time with its near-perfect momos.

Wow! Momo continues to reinvent and experiment with new dishes adding to its rapid growth over the years. The key was to understand what would their USP have to be, which led them to play with different flavors, lending them the touch of authenticity that is pivotal for food-centered startups.

Their big break came with pan fried momos (momo tossed and fried in exquisite sauces), and their business took off. As Sagar Daryani explains, they had to come up with innovative ways to go head-to-head with established branches of McDonalds, Subway etc, leading to the creation of something he calls a Moburg (burger with a filling of two momos), who’s in?.

With this Wow Momo now had meals of their own, that were previously only snacks. The entry of Wow! Momo into Bangalore led to the delectable sizzler momos being introduced to the public and with this they were ready to take their competitors by storm, with a helping of chocolate momos to feast on. With this, they had all the ingredients for a three-course meal, ready to tingle your taste buds.

      The important lesson to be learnt from Wow! Momo if anything would be the ability to come up with something that would sell, and to keep changing, to keep the customers hooked throughout, to keep up with the current times, which has led to their evident resounding success. Trying out what’s working, believing in your idea, experimenting are the major takeaways from Wow Momo’s story.