Midnight hunger pangs or something to satisfy your sweet tooth, Arjun Sethi has an answer for both. With two ventures under his belt, Midnight Munchies and Handpies, Arjun talks to us about entrepreneurship, spinning off his second venture from his first and about having a vision for the future.
A Commerce graduate, Arjun started his entrepreneurial journey with Midnight Munchies. Launched in 2012, Midnight Munchies was a result of late night hunger pangs. This was followed by the realization that there were definitely more night owls who could do with delicious meal options at odd hours. Being a midnight delivery service comes with its perks of not having to deal with the traffic issues. However, this does not mean that the journey of this venture was as smooth as its delivery service is. Midnight Munchies did a lot of background work to make sure their packaging is designed for both proper transport of its contents, and ease of operation. Their detailed approach is also evident in their menu, which Arjun highlights is designed to give its customers a rich combination of flavours to choose from. A look at the menu on the Midnight Munchies website shows options like the “Original Sloppy Joe”, “Tomato Basil Sauce Risotto”, “Zoodle (Zucchini Noodle) Salad” to name a few. I was a bit surprised to see this spread because most night cafes seem to have the regular dishes on their menu. Who says late night hunger pangs don’t need some indulgence?
A quick look at their reviews will show that their menu definitely delivers what its aims for. As I quizzed Arjun about the response, he elaborates on how they have been extremely favourable, and people have ordered with them purely through word of mouth marketing from existing customers.
Ok, now I have to ask him about what this whole interview was originally for- Handpies? Like everything else in Midnight Munchies, they decided to put their best foot, or in this case, should I say best pie forward. They wanted to include desserts of their own in their menu. They spent months working on their Pies and perfecting them. Little did they know that their pies would create such a stir that it would branch out to be a venture by itself. That is how Handpies came into existence, about a year and a half ago. If you are thinking these pies will only satisfy your sweet cravings think again. They have an “Aloo with Chimichurri Sauce Savory Pie”. Their R&D for interesting new flavour combinations is an on-going part of their journey. That combined with customer feedbacks and order preferences form the backbone of how they plan their menu
Even with two ventures on his plate, Arjun seems to have a clear vision about the future. Midnight Munchies he proudly claims is the first of its kind service in the Delhi NCR region. Since their pies had already found its loyal fans, Handpies began on an even better note. Arjun says the key is to make products suited to your audience and give them what they want. As he built the whole venture from scratch, he emphasizes that the initial time spent on building up your venture is extremely important. His advice to future entrepreneurs is to use the initial time to work on understanding your clientele, creating quality products that suit their tastes, and focusing on where you want to take your venture to. It’s definitely not the time to go behind numbers, he adds. He has been practicing what he preaches. Midnight Munchies is evolving into a new business model, which will soon make it a stop solution for its clientele.
We wish both Midnight Munchies and Handpies luck in all its future endeavours.
Visit Midnight Munchies and Handpies for more information. Don’t forget to stop by their Facebook pages to stay updated on their activities and offers.
Images Courtesy of Midnight Munchies