CHENNAI: If you have watched pizza delivery guys weaving furiously through traffic and wondered if putting food on wheels was a bad idea, brothers Arun Varma and Krishna Varma are here to change that thought. BBQ Ride India, the 11-month old brainchild of the duo combines two of the best inventions by humankind — barbecue and bikes. What a time to be alive! Riding into the food business with the iconic thump of Royal Enfields, they have created ripples that have reached the city from its birthplace in Bengaluru. Originally from Chennai, the brothers first ventured into the food truck business, two years ago. They were in the second year of college then.
The roaring success of their food truck named ‘Streety Treats’ saw the inclusion of two more food trucks in Bengaluru and the brothers knew they were doing something right. But right was not enough for them; they wanted to be different. The BBQ Ride idea struck in the last year of their graduation and they were ready to take on the world. “We concluded that a food bike would be more compact, face fewer traffic problems, cut down on manpower, resources, space and pollution but still serve the same purpose as a food truck. We knew we had struck gold,” says Arun Varma. In the initial stages the brothers bought two second-hand Royal Enfields, a 350 and a 500cc model and modified the side car.
It now has a grill, a tawa, storage unit, special brackets to fit umbrellas and customised tables, and can also fit in a fire extinguisher. Within no time, the unique food bike became all the rage in Bengaluru, with 26 channels airing their achievement, apart from bloggers, bikers, politicians and the top officials from Royal Enfield appreciating their initiative. It was such a huge hit that they expanded to seven food bikes in Bengaluru, with franchisees running three in New Delhi, two in Hyderabad, and two in Chennai, which started from September 8. In Chennai, the franchise is open in Velachery, opposite Phoenix MarketCity under the supervision of Srinivas and Surya and on OMR foodstreet by Tejas. “We have built more bikes at our own customised warehouse in Bengaluru. Franchisee requests are pouring in for the eight bikes in the making,” explains Krishna Varma. “We operate the food bikes under a basic food and hawkers license. Since these food bikes do not come under any previously defined categories, we are keen to ensure that any other license, if required, will be immediately applied for.”
The BBQ Rides operate from 5 pm to 11 pm at designated venues and also make appearances at tech parks during lunch hours. The brothers who have taken the bikes for cricketer Stuart Binny’s house party in Bengaluru say that they are open to undertake orders for private events. “The food is cooked solely on natural coal fire and that gives it a special smoky flavour, and it’s healthy too” shares Arun.
Non-vegetarians can enjoy munching on some smokey chicken strips and slow cooked chicken drumsticks. Vegetarians needn’t despair; you have grilled pineapple and paneer-capsicum to keep you company.
For details, call 08105208810