Sudha Menon

Pune , June 14

IF retail player Pantaloons has got its facts on the Indian palate right, the humble samosa might well be the next big thing in the domestic fast-food business.

The company is, right now, in the pilot stage of a proposed foray into the fast-food segment with `Chamosa', a branded chain, which will dish out the all-time favourite Indian combo garam chai and sizzling samosas.

After having established itself in the retail space with brands such as Central, Big Bazaar and Pantaloons, the company is now testing out the concept with a `Chamosa' kiosk in the middle of Mumbai's bustling Phoenix High Street mall district.

And it is indeed an amusing sight to see customers laden with all sorts of designer goodies from expensive shopping sprees queue up at the kiosk, which is situated right outside McDonalds.

The Chamosa brand will leverage the Indian shopper's penchant for goods that are value-for-money.

Customers wanting to indulge in their favourite food are, right now, being offered a six-piece samosa platter for Rs 10 and a cup of piping garam chai for Rs 4. There are samosas to please every palate from the popular Punjabi samosa, to the paneer samosa and the calorie-conscious can every try out the Samosa lite stuffed with bran sprouts. The range of tea too is as eclectic with favourites such as masala chai, chai elaichi, ginger tea, lemon tea and iced tea on the menu.

"We are planning to roll out the brand at other centres in a few months from now and want to get everything right before venturing out," a Pantaloon executive at the kiosk said.

The plan is to roll out the chain gradually at in-store locations in all markets where the company's brands are present and as stand alone kiosks in locations with heavy foot falls. While the samosas are currently being out-sourced and fried on location at the kiosk, the company is also considering the option of eventually setting up a centralised kitchen.

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