Meet Sanam Kapoor, Who Baked The Dream Of Pizza From Chandigarh, And is Now Going Global

The tale of your preferred pizza establishment began in 2011, when Sanam Kapoor inaugurated his inaugural pizzeria in his hometown of Chandigarh. Motivated by his personal quest for delectable pizza choices, he pondered whether there was a more effective approach to crafting pizza – and running a business. The world certainly didn’t require yet another pizzeria, but perhaps this one could stand out. Perhaps, with this one, everyone could receive precisely what they desired, freshly prepared upon request. It all began to sound quite promising, and before long, Sanam was launching the premier La Pinoz in the City Beautiful.

Sanam Kapoor was living the Indian middle-class dream with a stable job at a major IT company. He left his job and invested into a business.

Business strategist and commentator Parsh Kothari shared a few bits of La-Pinoz Pizza on social media platform X.

According to him, the 2010s was an exciting time for restaurant companies. The rise of millennials led to a never-before-seen demand for fast foods.

Amid this rise, Pizza brands were printing money and a leading company was enjoying a 54% market share of this.

Kothari shared that Sanam Kapoor, like every engineer, wanted to do some startup, but… due to his financial problems, he couldn’t.

Later Kapoor did what he thought didn’t need much money. He started a restaurant – a pizzeria. This decision turned out to be harder than he thought as leading brands were giving a tough competition in the market making its survival difficult.

Sanam did something no company did then- he ditched the whole pizza.

Sanam had a strategy to boost his sales, Kothari highlighted;

Which included;

• Who wants a whole pizza when you can just have 1!
• Addressing India’s “Masaladar” tongue
• Lower Costs
• Faking its “Veg-Only” appeal.

Welcome just Slices

Can you devour an entire pizza solo? Probably not. But what if you’re itching to savour a novel flavour? Tough luck. It’s an all-or-nothing deal. Recognising this, Sanam took a step and abandoned the concept of the whole pizza. In its place, he unveiled a “single-slice” option for his pizzas. This ingenious move appeals to a diverse crowd: those eager to explore new flavours, individuals averse to wasting a whole pizza, and those on a budget. The introduction of this single-slice alternative caters to the nuanced desires of every pizza enthusiast, transforming a dilemma into a delectable solution.

India and its spices

Sanam knew every state in India has its unique taste. In order to appeal to every local, he started personalising the pizzas to cater to the local market.

He appealed to every youngster’s heart by,

• Giving fresh pizzas,
• Using localised flavours with local spices.
• Giving new experiences

For example, La Pinoz makes their dough every 3 hours, in contrast with some big brands, which make it every 24 hours.

Lower costs

There are 2 things one sees before entering a restaurant, taste & cost.

Having triumphed in the realm of taste, these pizzerias went a step further by strategically pricing their pizzas significantly lower than their competitors.

For instance, the average La Pino’z pizza commands a price of Rs 200, a striking contrast to the Rs 300 charged by prominent industry giants. This deliberate pricing strategy not only positions them as a more budget-friendly option but also underscores their commitment to offering exceptional value without compromising on flavour, thereby reshaping the competitive landscape in the pizza market.

Veg Only?

A huge chunk of the Indian population is only vegetarian. Some are so strict that they don’t even go to restaurants that serve non-vegetarian.

So how do we appeal to this group of people – who make up a huge chunk of the population? But being a pizzeria, it will be difficult to be just veg. Here, Sanam employed a different strategy.

Instead of forcing the franchises to be either veg/non-veg, they left it up to them to decide.

In a remarkable journey of expansion, the enterprise marked a significant milestone in 2017 by surpassing 100 stores. Fast forward to 2022, and the growth trajectory reached an astonishing high, with the number of stores soaring to over 500. Today, standing at the pinnacle of its success, the brand is poised to embark on a global venture, signalling an ambitious stride beyond geographical boundaries.