1. We would like to start with the story behind initiating Waffle Up.

Since I have been operating restaurant businesses for over nine years now, there was a point I was frustrated with various issues. Coming from a different background, it was not pleasant for me to witness the mismanagement and untrained workers in the restaurant, which is a common scenario in our country. Hotel and hospitality management is quite an enriched sector, even in our neighboring countries, but it is quite the opposite in Bangladesh. Due to this, it is not considered a respectable profession in our country. In foreign countries, university students mostly work in restaurants as their part-time profession, but in Bangladesh, students do not tend to choose this due to the lack of respect.

During my startup journey, I realized there are two core fundamentals for a successful business, scalability and being able to solve an existing problem. Gradually, my other restaurant business, Treehouse, became stable, but unfortunately, the pandemic took place and affected our business.

That was when I planned to initiate something where I won’t suffer with manpower, a restaurant that does not require a Chef and is scalable. It is essential to manage restaurants in a way that does not need a chef to tackle diminishing margins, many prominent restaurants worldwide are doing it over time. So I always asked if they do, why can’t we? So, I eventually found out it is because of the restaurant owners who depend on their chefs and managers for their business. Instead, I decided to establish a standardized recipe where the recipe is secret, and I will manage the entire operation centrally. During Covid, I was planning to start a new venture and was thinking about something unique I could introduce to my customers.

When I initially started with Treehouse, I always wanted to start a waffle shop below it, but since one of my friends had already come up with his waffle venture back then, I started a juice bar instead. But since they adopted a different business model, I decided to start with a waffle joint that is how it should be, quick and affordable like most foreign countries. I wanted to innovate a unique recipe and process that makes the process seamless and reduces dependency. With this goal, we started Waffle Up. It has been an amazing journey till now. We tried to make this food easy to eat on the go, and we introduced waffles on a stick for the first time. People loved our approach and appreciated our uniqueness. This love and support helped us to expand drastically within only a year. The goal behind naming it Waffle Up was just a statement that it levels up the Waffle in terms of taste, quality, and experience. We have established stories behind each character illustrated in our packaging and established a unique proposition that cannot be replicated.

2. The whole idea of Waffle Up, from the design to the recipe and presentation, is done differently than the conventional way. How did these ideas occur to you?

Before launching Waffle Up, we had spent nearly two years behind its product development and four months in branding. Doing further research, we noticed that worldwide waffle joints are associated with yellow color. Since I love branding and belong to a branding background, I wanted to establish a unique identity. I intended to adopt the retro teal and pink color approach that reflects the vibrant vibe. We took yellow as our secondary color as well. Along with these colors, we incorporated them in our packaging as well.

We have also introduced a few characters that represent our brand. From our packaging to the waffle sticks, every element we use is designed in a way that tells our story. Interestingly we also sell teal-colored waffles. I always said that food is also an essential part of branding, so why should it not represent the brand color? The color is one of the highest quality food-grade products imported from the USA, to establish the relevance of the food with the brand. With further extensive research and tweaking, we have assured significant improvements to solidify our approach.

3. Tell us a little about Waffle Up’s vibrant image and how it attracts young people.

Although our branding approach is aimed at youth, people of all ages are enjoying Waffle Up, which we consider one of our biggest blessings. We are overwhelmed by the response we received till now. People did not only love the food but the entire experience we offered with Waffle Up. We want to redefine how versatile desserts can be.

4. How do you keep yourself ahead of your competition?

As I have been in this industry for nearly a decade, we were certain that our idea might get replicated as we previously encountered several instances like these. There are two types of copies we often see in Bangladesh, firstly one is they reduce the price, else they replicate the packaging itself. So, we decided to give the most competitive price possible to maintain the quality to resolve this issue. Till now, nobody could replicate our taste and quality, and this is something that kept us unique. Our well-organized team and attention to detail in our operational structure always gave us an edge over our competitors.

We have been operating on such a scale that we can afford to provide the best possible quality at a reasonable price. Even with the rising cost of commodities, we did not compromise on the quality even if we had to reduce our margins. We appreciate our competition as they help us develop our market. As we expand gradually, we do not need to introduce waffles to that demographic since they have already tasted waffles from our competitions and we can drive them towards us when we expand to that area with our quality and originality. We are improving ourselves every day, and by increasing our efficiency, we are making everything seamless.

5. Waffle up is currently one of the most crowded places and especially during weekends, with this rapid popularity how do you plan to maintain customer service and consistency?

We operate through our central kitchen. We do all the measurements there and send the materials for the batter to all our outlets. So, there are no chances of alteration of tastes. Furthermore, our dedicated surveillance team continuously operates to mitigate human errors. We take contact numbers of customers to get back to them with any issues and assure the best service possible. We have standardized our recipe in a way that there are no possibilities that the taste will differ.

6. Now that Waffle Up has launched a few branches all over Dhaka, what further expansion plans do you have in mind?

We have already expanded to many areas in the capital. We are providing home deliveries all over Dhaka through several platforms.

We are planning to expand various areas within Dhaka in the coming days. Along with this, we are also planning to expand outside Dhaka as we solidify our presence further in the market.

7. Any suggestions for aspiring food entrepreneurs?

No matter which background you belong to, do not be hesitant to work, learn and operate from scratch. You have to keep your ego aside and learn to work in every role as it is essential to understand the business and its pain points. Find partners that align with your vision and invest in your dreams. Work on your values and establish your self-worth. Be humble and honest regarding whatever you do. Do not let your achievements change your personality. Do not do business for the sake of making money. Do what your passion drives you towards.