Street Food

First Wave resulted in several migrants working in street food industry returning back to their states due to prolonged lockdowns. After almost six months, they returned to urban locations only to have to return three months later due to lockdowns again.

Post relaxation of restrictions, they are opening up again slowly. Sales are not yet back to pre-lockdown levels yet they are making a strong comeback. Educational Sector is also opening up slowly. The IT sector is still working from home. Food delivery apps have made strong penetration resulting in consumers moving to pick from branded restaurants even for evening snacks. This has resulted in great losses to the street food but now the masses are back to street food.

Street food has its charm. Eating out has been most common habit of youth, workers, employees of businesses, individuals especially in the evenings. Evening snacks are rarely being prepared at home. All prefer to eat outside only. As such, they make huge sales from 4 pm to 11 pm in the night.

Street Food Vendors make good money. Some of the food carts sell upwards of 10000 rs/day easily while some sell more than that. Even the corner side Noodles carts sell nothing less than 3000 rs/day. 

Third wave is still keeping street food vendors scared yet the return of masses is encouraging them. Food vendors are only hopeful that there would be no lockdowns. They are beginning to get migrant labor back from their states. Country shutting down was unprecedented for small vendors.

Maslows Theory says that Food,Shelter never face recession but for the first time, Food& Shelter also faced recession. Online Food Delivery Apps are now picking even from small food vendors. Business has not returned fully to Urban Areas still across the country still due to Study from Home&Work from Home.  Street food vendors say that more than middle class, the bottom of the pyramid workers, the blue collar workers are their prime customers. They travel to work from far flung villages & they spend some part of their daily wages on street side food.

Work from home is going to be a regular option for many looking at current trends. As such, the number of food vendors in the third generation has come down. Many of the third generation workers prefer to go to software/retail/service industry where they can work in AC environments rather than work in the field mostly for food industry.

This is witnessing consolidation with many chains cashing on this trend by introducing franchises for their working brand. Even small towns across the country are having tea vendors franchises. Going forward, we are going to witness more consolidation in this sectors as consumers demand cleanliness, professionalism and good service having witnessed that being offered by these brands.