Wat-a-Burger story | Will this desi Pilot earning INR 13 crores a year give a tough competition to McDonald's & Burger King?

It is not often we hear about a young pilot getting into the food industry, but this is the amusing case with the commercial airline pilot, Rajat Jaiswal, who wanted the best of both; air and land. In 2016 he launched Wat-a-Burger in Noida, Uttar Pradesh with his childhood friend Farman Beig. At present, the franchise has a total of 60 outlets spread across 16 cities, earning a revenue of Rs 13 crore a year.

With 7,000 plus hours of flying airbuses since 2009, Rajat, a senior commander, has savoured every bit of his moment in the air. However, he has not restricted himself to just this profession. When he is not flying over clouds, Rajat indulges himself in an activity that satiates the foodie in him.

Wat-a-Burger offers unique flavours including Chicken Makhani, Tandoori, Aloo Achari, Double-Decker. The venture has its own line of unique burgers with a desi twist, that is sure to make any Indian drool.

Having Plan-B!

Apart from following his passion and wanting to get into the food industry, Rajat’s another motivation to build his own venture due to the vagaries of the airline industry.

“I have witnessed the ups and downs in the aviation industry. In the past 12 years, three major airlines have sunk or shut shop. The industry is volatile. Besides, a lot of health factors determine the length of one’s career. So, it is always safe to have an alternate source of income,” the 35-year-old explains.

Talking about choosing the food industry as an alternative career, Rajat replies, “Food is a lucrative venture and will never sink. Besides, it is also about following my passion. I always wanted to enter the food industry and discussed plans with Farman over the years. So, when the time was right, we launched Wat-a-Burger.”

Competing directly at the doors of the competitors

It is not an easy feat for a traditional start-up to compete with big international burger brands including McDonald's, KFC and Burger King which were Wat-a-burger’s direct competitors. The venture encountered turbulent times, but Rajat boldly navigated his way through it all.

“We stood outside these outlets and offered the burgers to potential customers. We marketed the food item with a payback guarantee. We assured repayments for customers who did not like them. Fortunately, such an occasion never occurred in the initial three months when the campaign was running. People loved us for our uniqueness,” he adds.

Before joining in with Rajat, Farman, the CEO of the venture, owned another business but he quit as the burger venture was their childhood dream. “Rajat always discussed business ideas with me, and one day we narrowed it down to burgers but we did not want to be another burger outlet in the market. With some research, we decided to offer fusion burgers,” he says.

According to Farman, it was the unique desi fusion to their burgers that gave them an edge in the market and offered a safety cushion for the business. Farman further explains, “We all know that Butter Chicken is a popular dish that almost 80 percent of chicken lovers are familiar with. The customer risks less by ordering this food item because they know the taste of Butter Chicken. So what could go wrong? Same goes for Kadai Paneer.”

Hitting bullseye

What makes this burger chain a hit can be deciphered from Shubham Chaudhary, a 29-year-old entrepreneur’s experience with the venture, he says, “...that he has been frequenting the burger outlet near his house for three years. I was tempted to try their burgers after I came across the branding. Their taste is their USP. It is outstanding compared to other burger outlets in the market,” he says. “Offering night time deliveries for those who work late or catering to the party crowd makes the burger chain a hit,” he continues. 

Explaining what played the trick and made them catapult into the competitive market is that of merging popular Indian food with burgers. “We offer 20 varieties of burgers that start at Rs 49 and go up to Rs 189. Most of them, including the Veg Street Style, Peri-Peri Chicken, Chicken Crispy, Chicken Makhani, fall in our best-sellers category,” he says, adding that the outlets are small and ergonomically designed to lower the recurring costs. Consumers also cherish the benefits of affordable quality burgers.

What makes it venture even more lucrative and appealing is that they ensure that the food is prepared with fresh ingredients, unlike the pre-processed frozen items that travel hundreds of kilometres via cold chain, “We have established local food supply chains that deliver fresh produce giving us an added edge.”

Handling pandemic and eyeing expansion

The company in its first financial year, 2017, generated revenues of Rs 1 crore and steadily grew to tune in Rs 29.55 crore by 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company suffered a lag, which resulted in revenues plummeting to Rs 13 crore in the last fiscal year.

Focusing on the future that lies ahead, Rajat says that he is putting his energy in planning new strategies to hover and get through the turbulent times. “We are trying to increase the food variety and introduce a biryani brand for the customers. The youngsters prefer burgers, but preferences change for the age group 35 to 40. We found that biryani is more preferred for these age groups. The move ensures that the cost of infrastructure remains the same and achieves a wider range of customer reach at the same time,” he adds.

The multitasking pilot says that he aims to have over 500 outlets in the next five years. “The upcoming states on the list to increase brand presence include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra. We plan to have 100 stores by the end of the year and also target Tier II and Tier III cities.” Currently, Wat-a-burger has outlets in New Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Bihar.

Speaking about balancing and juggling between the two demanding jobs, Rajat reveals that he does not need to fly every day and has plenty of time in hand post his flights. “We get a monthly schedule, so I know the days and timings of my flights. I focus on the business during my off days. I do not carry my work home. So, when I am flying, the burgers are out of focus. Once on the ground, my role changes,” he adds.

Rajat firmly believes and advocates that Indian businesses can compete and stand out against international brands. “Our decision to bank on desi palates and serve fresh food demonstrates that the Indian business can do better and stand out in the market,” he concludes.

For more interesting articles, read-

1. Play the right shot with these scholarships and fellowships. Apply here!
2. IISc, IITs and other 16 universities make it to Top 200 in Asia University Ranking 2021
3. The axiom of Competition is Chance- Nitin Koul, D2C Competitive Leaders 2021
4. Painting the success story of Team CODE CHARISMA in Myntra hacker-ramp WeForShe hackathon- By Anika Jagati from VIT, Chennai
5. “We walked out like stars”- TVS Credit E.P.I.C National Winners from IIM Kashipur