How Khana’s became the first & largest restaurant fast food sector chain in Bangladesh

The indigenous brand Khana’s has achieved a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s fast food industry. Started in 2012, this restaurant has since developed into a brand. Khana’s has become renowned for its reasonably priced, high-quality international cuisine. Today, we will discuss the history of Khana’s establishment and how Khana’s gained its popularity in detail.

The journey of Khana’s

Khana’s, one of the most recognized restaurants in Bangladesh, was established by Ehsan Ahmed, Redhwanur Rahman, and Shahin Mahmud. While employed at Bashundhara Group, the three of them grew close. Being foodies, the three of them would go to various locations in the city to sample new cuisine after work. In 2012, they opened a food cart called “Ande Khana” in Mirpur 10 because they loved food and wanted to sell it at affordable prices. The tagline was “The freshness of an economy” in this food cart.

The beginning of Khana’s journey. | Photo collected.

At first, they used solely eggs to prepare every dish in the Ande Khana food cart. In Mirpur 10, they used to sell food after work hours. In a short time, “Ande Khana” became quite well-liked by the customers. Three Ande Khana franchises were then sold for 2.5 lakh taka. Due to the lack of regulations governing food cart operations in the nation at the time, they frequently encountered legal issues. They continued to search for a permanent solution to this issue. At that time, they came to know that ‘real estate’ was being prepared for setting up a traditional market near Bashundhara. The place is known as 300 feet.

These three entrepreneurs went up to the “real estate” owner. They proposed to him the concept of an open food court, where customers may sit and savor a variety of dishes offered by several restaurants. The real estate owner approved of their concept and created “Kazi Food Island.” “Ande Khana” was the first eatery at the “Kazi Food Island” food court. They later changed the name of their eatery to Khana’s. Thus, Khana’s journey in Bangladesh started.

How Khana’s became popular

The cost of the meal at Khana’s is the main reason for its popularity. They set their food prices to be accessible to the private university students in the Bashundhara neighborhood. They gained popularity quite rapidly as a result. They expanded their menu to include a variety of fast food items, such as sub sandwiches, cold coffee, and wedges. Because Khana’s food was of higher quality and more reasonably priced than others, customers began liking it. Among customers, Khana’s cold coffee and wedges were the most popular.

Khana’s most popular wedges and cold coffee. | Photo collected.

Ehsan Ahmed, the company’s founder, attributes their quick rise in popularity to the food’s flavor and affordable costs. After gaining success with a modest 300-feet location, this restaurant chose to use franchisees to grow its business. Spices are one of the key ingredients in Khana’s cuisine, and they are produced at their factory. Its meal tastes very different from other foods because it doesn’t use prepackaged spices. Additionally, because cardboard has been used for packing since the beginning, enjoying the cuisine while sitting in a restaurant or eating outside is simple. As a result of these factors, Khana’s has quickly become quite popular.

Khana’s Present and Future Plans

Khana’s has prioritized preserving the standards of its meals above expanding its menu since the restaurant’s founding. meanwhile, Khana’s has made an effort to connect with the public through social media since the start. This has allowed Khana’s to differentiate itself from other restaurants. Khana’s currently operates 14 locations in Dhaka alone. “Khana’s is working on opening outlets in 20 cities across all categories to meet the needs of food lovers across the country,” co-founder Shahin Mahmud stated.

Current Khana’s and future plans. | Photo collected.

Khana’s aspires to become a global brand. Therefore, according to co-founder Shahin, Khana’s is aiming to create its own outlets in Bangkok and London by 2025. There are two main categories of Khana’s stores: flagship and classic. Typically, flagship stores are those that are more than 2,000 square feet in size. Classic outlets are those that are more than 1,000 square feet. Khana’s is trying to make a name for itself abroad.

One of the industries in Bangladesh that is expanding the fastest is the fast food industry. Local restaurants that began on a much lesser scale in the past ten years have become incredibly popular with the public, much like many international restaurant chains have. Khana’s is one of them. Khana’s, which began as a food cart, has grown to become a well-known brand in Bangladesh’s fast food and restaurant industry.

“References”