Today we’d like to introduce you to Rishi Dev.
Hi Rishi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a software engineer by profession who has always loved bringing new ideas to life in my spare time. Khaana Express started as an idea just 2 months ago to bring our Indian home-cooked meals into people’s homes. We saw an increasing trend during COVID where people were ordering more food from restaurants — including me! But I would always find myself craving home-cooked meals after a few days due to takeout being heavy, unhealthy, and expensive.
The initial idea was simple: we make the same healthy recipes from our homes (no cream, no frozen ingredients, less butter/oil etc.) and deliver them to people on a weekly basis. This has since taken off and we are excited for the growth that lies ahead!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge for us has been to balance delivering the best quality and service with growth and expansion. We had to limit our delivery area, time windows & tiffin customization due to logistical constraints and challenges. It has also been a challenge trying to sustain a profitable business as prices for ingredients, staffing and appliances are continually increasing. The biggest lesson we have learned is through the ups and downs, we just can’t give up!
Our #1 focus has been on giving our customers the best quality food and listening to their feedback. And as we slowly gain more experience and grow our team, we will further expand our service and give our customers the flexibility they want!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?Khaana Express delivers homemade Indian food straight to your doorstep! Home-cooked recipes can be difficult to find outside of our own households, so we want to be there for people who are busy working, studying, or taking care of their families but desire a delicious & healthy home-cooked meal.
What sets us apart is that we truly put ourselves in the shoes of our customers: we only serve food that we love and enjoy in our homes. If the food is not perfect for our loved ones, we wouldn’t serve it to our customers either!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
We found out early that preparing and selling food from your home kitchen — other than food for event catering — is not allowed in Missouri due to health code regulations. By a huge stroke of luck, my friend had just opened up a St. Louis county-regulated kitchen in his store and was willing to let us use it on Saturdays. Our challenge, as a result, was a blessing in disguise; our homemade recipes are now cooked in a high-quality, restaurant-grade kitchen.
I truly believe that the success of this business has been a combination of luck and the undeniable support of my friends and family!
Contact Info:
- Email: khaanaexpressllc@gmail.com
- Website: www.khaanaexpress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khaanaexp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khaanaexp
