When there is a will, there is always a way. A man from a small town in Rajasthan came to Delhi to earn money. He did all kinds of jobs like cleaning and service at the popular food chain, Pizza Hut for his living. It was in 1997, that he faced the plight of the early death of his parents, after which he came to the national capital to make ends meet. With hard work and perseverance, he glided through phases and subsequently emerged to be a crorepati earning Rs 8 crore annually.
Shiju Pappen started with an income of Rs 5000-6000 per month for almost a year, during his work at Pizza Hut. He used to work as a cleaner and a serving maid at the company. With such a small income, he somehow managed his rent, electricity and food. Despite the low salary and extreme life challenges, he was willing to move ahead and remained dedicated to the fast-food industry for 20 years. With experience, he grew professionally, as he became the CEO of 'Southern Fried Chicken'. However, he achieved tremendous success only when he kickstarted his own business.
While working at Pizza Hut, Pappen foresighted the potential of Indian street food in the market. He started his street food outlet, ‘The Chatpata Affair’ in 2020 with a mere Rs 5 lakh capital. He initially resorted to a mobile cart with fewer products. Gradually, Pappen’s business took off and now he owns 50 outlets spread across the country. This includes cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Gurugram. Initially, Pappen owned two outlets and generated Rs 2 lakh per month. By FY 2023, his business grew rapidly grossing over Rs 6 crore annually in revenue. Currently, his company’s revenue is Rs 8 crore annually according to Money Control.
The Chatpata Affair has around 200 dishes like Bihar’s famous litti chokha, chaat etc on its menu. Pappen has planned to elevate Indian street food to global fame with his company, which is based in Bengaluru. The founder aims to expand operations to 100 outlets by March 2025 and projected a revenue of Rs 1000 crore by 2027.
