Thursday, July 22, 2010

“Maintaining relationships is at the core of our business”


Enter MICA and you can't miss Chhota, the eating joint in MICA, which is the most celebrated spot in the campus. Standing like a rustic shack amidst the green lush campus, it has its own old world charm and an air of calmness where you can chitchat with your friends over a cup of coffee, gossip around or even hold a book while sipping away your favorite masala tea.

So we get down to interview Amit Bhai, the Incharge of Chhota and get him talking about what makes Chhota a brand, which was started 13 years ago and still going strong.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:

When was Chhota started and what was the concept behind its inception?

“Chhota was started in 1997 with an idea to help students unwind in a rustic setting after the class or during free hours and to provide them with snacks and beverages they would love to gorge on apart from the mess food.”


What makes Chhota so special and endearing to the students?

“Well, we give the students leverage to prepare their own dishes and even let them try their creativity at experimenting with dishes. And sometimes if the experiment results in a nice tasty dish, we christen it after the student name, eg. Imran sandwich, Gunjan paratha, Divish sandwich.
Besides, it’s open 24*7 throughout the year. Come hell or high waters, Chhota is always there serving students. Maintaining relationships is at the core of the business here.”

What are the most popular dishes here?


“The most popular dishes are Tadka Maggi, vada paav, egg bhurji, samosa. Even the Imran sandwich sells like hotcakes.”

What about your share of gossip/happening around the campus?

“Hahaha..Yeah, we know for sure who is dating who, which professor is a tough nut, what new snacks students want and what are the next set of changes to be implemented in the campus.”

Well, That would be all. Thank you Amit Bhai. We wish you and Chhota a very prosperous future.
“Thank you.”