When Koushik Sarangadoss opened his first WOSS (World of Subs and Salads) outlet in ECR in 2010, it was just 30 square feet.
Fast-forward five years, and he now manages 12 stores. Along the way, he has also expanded the WOSS repertoire from just submarine sandwiches and salads, to include burgers, pizzas and more.
Watching international sandwich and salad outlets mushrooming across the city made him wonder why there were so few local entrepreneurs in the field. Especially since Koushik saw real potential in the market. After over 12 years in the hotel industry, where he helped set up different brands across the country, he finally decided to quit and break out on his own. “When I started WOSS, I took a chance; I had no idea how it would turn out. The first three months were hard. Fortunately, things started looking up after the fourth month,” he says. Offers for other outlets started coming his way, and soon he didn’t have to hunt for locations again.
But then, Koushik realised early in life that success doesn’t come easy. A student of St. Patrick’s school till class 10, he dropped out for a year to help with his father’s struggling business. When that fell through, he completed his schooling in a government school, learning computer networking in the evenings, after school hours. When he finished school, he came across a newspaper ad calling for managers for a pizza chain, and walked in for an interview. “I didn’t even know what a pizza was at that point,” he laughs. “I got the job, but I felt the need for better educational qualifications. Also, my wife is an engineer from the prestigious engineering college BITS Pilani. Her parents wouldn’t let me marry her without a degree! So I completed my BBA through correspondence from Madras University.”
In addition to kiosks, typically outside supermarkets, WOSS caters to corporate offices and IT parks. They even recently opened an outlet in Bangalore on demand. “A submarine sandwich is actually a perfect meal. It is relatively healthy, as it has a lot of low-calorie vegetables. It is also very filling,” says Koushik, even as a steady stream of office-goers, many of whom are regulars, trickle into his OMR restaurant for lunch.
Koushik wants WOSS to be known for its focus on health. He says that he has a nutritionist on board, who helps publish an in-house health series for corporates. They are also currently working on what he calls a “next level meal” that will cover all essential nutrients. The team has partnered with an interactive design firm to develop app-based ordering and delivery services. There are plans for expansion as well; Koushik wants to open one store every two-and-a-half months. “The future is big, and we have potential,” he declares.
