CHENNAI:Maheshwaran and Sunil Kumar, two 20-something former IT employees, are on four wheels every evening, serving delicious wood-fired pizzas in Anna Nagar. “We’ve always wanted to get out of the corporate set up and explore something new and unique. The food industry was something that interested us and hence, we decided to take the leap,” says Maheshwaran, as he loads wood on the dome-shaped oven mounted on their food truck. “The oven has to be heated at 300 degree celsius and it takes about three to four minutes to make a pizza,” he explains. We are at Bon Pizza, the city’s first pizza truck.
Beaming with pride, the duo narrates their journey. “A food truck that serves idlis and dosas was our initial plan. But, that would need a lot of experience, and it’s quite common, isn’t it? So, we came across a franchise offer for Bon Pizza, and took the chance,” explains Sunil.
After about 15 days of training in wood-fired pizza making, and a few weeks of remodelling an ordinary tempo vehicle into an extraordinary pizza machine, the friends-turned-business partners began their entrepreneurial journey. “We spent about seven lakh to remodel the vehicle. But, the exterior of the vehicle and the delicious pizza has become our USP now,” smiles Sunil.
Talking about leaving a cushy job, and how they addressed the concerns of their respective families, Maheshwaran says, “Our families were initially unsure about our move to quit a job that paid us well. We didn’t have any prior experience in the food industry, so their inhibitions were understandable. But, we had to follow our dreams. We are glad that we did. Now, they are extremely supportive. They even visit us during business hours.”
Surprisingly, the duo had never cooked a meal in their life. “Running this food truck, making the dough from scratch, chopping vegetables, making pizza, and serving it all by ourselves has changed us. Now, we help our families in the kitchen. We are proud,” they laugh.
“We have about 14 pizzas on our menu now, and we will be expanding it in the coming months,” says Sunil.
(Bon Pizza is located at Anna Nagar, opposite Government Peripheral Hospital. FOR DETAILS CALL: 9600183546)
Pineapple pizza, too!
The food truck serves some wood-fired goodness like the Veggie Mamba, a pizza topped with capsicum, bell peppers, onion, tomato and Bon Pizza’s special Mamba sauce; the signature fully loaded Chicken feast, Hawaiian pizza... yes, with pineapple! The default size of the pizza is nine inches, and are priced between `120 and `340.