Yummy street food beckons techies

​Habsiguda: S V Sainath, an employee of Genpact, says she has been having dinner at a roadside eatery for the last three years. Sneha Reddy, who joined the company eight months ago, has now turned into a fan of street food and she too has been savouring the items. “I stopped carrying a tiffin. It is so convenient,” she quips. 

The stretch from Habsiguda to Tarnaka has now turned into a street food hub with several eateries. The bandis spring up in the evening and serve food mostly for IT employees and passerby. With several companies coming up in Habsiguda and Uppal, many make-shift eateries have been opened. 

“Street food is delicious and is cheap. We come here every day and have tea and snacks. The food here tastes better than the food in restaurants,” says Harika Reddy, an employee in Genpact. 

“To eat in a restaurant we have to travel but street food vendors come and set up the stall in front of our office. This will save our time and food,” says Manish.  “Setting up the stall near the company is an advantage for our business.  Unlike restaurants we don’t store food in the refrigerators; we serve fresh food every day. The cost of the food is also less compared to hotels. Every day we make Rs 1500-2000 profit,” says Ajay, Gayatri dosa house owner.

“Fast food is highly preferable by everyone these days. Here we serve plate noodles for Rs 70 whereas restaurants charge anywhere between R 150-Rs 200. We prepare food according to the wish of the customers,” says Prusty fast food centre owner. He adds, “We have regular clientele, mostly Bengalis who shifted to Hyderabad who insist on less spice.” 

“We serve varieties of food. We make sure that the food is tasty and hygiene. Our make is give healthy food to employees at reasonable prices and also earn profit. On the daily basis we will earn up to 3000,” says Yadaya, S K Foods owner. “In the beginning, we had problem because customers didn’t had trust, but over time we started getting customers. 

The advantage we have is people can see the way we prepare food. We make everything fresh and serve to the customers. I started my business 3 years back.  Every day the vendors are increasing and the competition is increasing. The only way we can survive is coordinating with the fellow members and work as one,” he added.

“I sell tea, coffee biscuits. I keep everything ready because employees will be in a hurry. As we all know that employees will be working all day and will be tired of the work. They come here for relaxation,” says Laxmi, a tea stall owner. “Employees prefer street food. Street food vendors are serving new varieties every day. Their business is rapidly growing. If the food served is not hygienic, then the business will not run for too long,” she adds.

 - Kavya Reddy