Dhanno De Parathe is a low-cost food cart and a brand building attempt by this trio of software professionals who launched a food cart in South Bangalore to make and sell home-made parathas to an army of students and youth hailing from all over India now settled in the garden city.

This soft-spoken, demure software professional from a leading Global IT major, Pradhnya Menge, stands a very good chance she will come to be known as Dhanno, Parathewali. Satisfied customers take away with them a taste of home-made parathas she serves at her roadside food cart.

Easy on the pocket, a plate of Aloo Parathas cost just Rs 40 and the other two variants cost Rs 40 per plate for Onion one and Rs 60 per plate for the paneer (cottage cheese) ones. In one plate, you get two Parathas.

She and her two IT sector friends — Abhinav Arora and Shubham Gupta — thought up of starting a food cart – Dhanno De Parathe — as they are faced with a growing sense of stagnation as also fear of the certain uncertainty that has crept into the IT sector, what with massive layoffs becoming the norm.

Paratha is a product that requires less investment but need lots of guts to be able to stand out there and stay behind the counter and fry parathas, handle the assorted issues that crop up in the life of a street vendor, said Shubham Gupta from Jaipur. He has made Bangalore his home after completing engineering from VIT, Vellore, some 4 years ago.

Life has been all right so far, but “we thought of launching this start-up that does not require much funding. We contributed a little each, that we could afford to, and the friendly paanwalah allowed them to erect a tarpaulin cover and park their paratha cart.

A white board, marker pens, a gas stove and a frying pan was all that they needed to launch Dhanno Parathas on a lane that is thickly populated with students and young professionals, hailing from different parts of the country.

Their start up is located on Manipal County Road in Singasandra colony of South Bangalore.

Launched on August 5, Friendship day, sales on opening day were very encouraging, said Dhanno – oh, sorry Ms Pradhnya.

The next best day in terms of sales was on Independence Day, August 15, when there were many customers who kept us on our toes, she said.

“We three contributed equally and started with a sum Rs 11,000, which included start-up cost and inventory for a week,” said Abhinav. According to him, running cost of the establishment would come to Rs 5000 per month.

“We are getting good response from customers, who long for home-made food of good quality,” she said. Actually, the deterioration in the IT sector is also very much one of the reasons for taking up frying Parathas and also it is giving us a chance to do something we have been wanting to do.

“We three met through Facebook as also as friends of friends etc. Our love for food brought us together and when during normal conversations, the idea got kicked around. We did not waste time in thinking ‘what would people think’ and scouted for a place that would be cheap to operate, Shubam said.

“We come here after work, by 7.30 or so and start the paratha making from 8 p.m. We are open till 11 p.m. and work on weekends when there is maximum rush. Besides, we are serving in the morning from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. For the present we are taking turns and managing the show. If it grows, then we will have to think up of help, he said.

“When I was studying engineering, even I never imagined that one day in Bangalore I would be making and selling parathas. It was the dream of my parents and grand parents that I work for this biggest and the most prestigious Indian IT company. Yes, I did join and am working there, but have decided to do this, keeping the future in mind, just in case,” said Predhnya.

Slowdown in software and IT sector overall is for sure one of the main reasons for this venture, admitted Abhinav.

All three are young, energetic and ambitious – and are already thinking ahead of opening more Dhanno Parathas across the city.

But for the present, the trio is concentrating on delivering what they promise – good, hygienic home-made like Parathas. Only gradually would they be expanding Menu and branches – depending on the success of this venture.

The techies they are, of course, they are present on the Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhannodeparathe/

“We three work in IT firms and have started this as a passion. We are looking forward to make it big and famous,” said Abhinav even as the other two nodded hard in agreement.