When you sink your teeth into a slice of pizza, the harmonious blend of tangy sauce, fresh dough, and melty cheese explodes with flavour in your mouth. The satisfying crunch of the crust only enhances the entire culinary journey.
In November 2014, Sandeep Jangra experienced a moment he would never forget — tasting his very first pizza with friends. Captivated by its deliciousness, Sandeep was inspired to share this culinary delight with his city. Within a few short months, his dream became a reality as he opened the inaugural Pizza Galleria outlet in December 2015, right in the heart of Gohana, Haryana.
What sets this pizza chain apart from others is that it is 100 percent vegetarian, and has pizzas starting from Rs 69.
After turning the people of Gohana into pizza lovers, Sandeep started opening outlets in other parts of Haryana, and soon expanded to other parts of the country. Today, he has over 72 outlets that sell over 20,000 pizzas every day, with a turnover of Rs 15 crore in the last financial year 2023-24.
Here’s how this 32-year-old went from having arrears in his engineering course to being a successful entrepreneur, providing employment to over 700 people!
Introducing a city to the taste of pizza
Sandeep grew up in a joint family in Gohana where his father managed a construction material business — a setting that ignited his early entrepreneurial spirit. Following his schooling, he studied at NC College of Engineering in the nearby town of Israna.
However, Sandeep faced considerable obstacles during his academic journey. Struggling with certain subjects, he found himself having to retake exams, extending his engineering programme to six years. After four years, he encountered a dilemma — lacking his degree yet unable to disclose this to his parents. In a stroke of resourcefulness, he secured a position at Ericsson India in Gurugram through a friend, earning Rs 9,000 per month.
It was here in November 2014 that the entrepreneur had his first bite of pizza with his friends, which changed his life forever. “I loved the taste of the pizza and wondered how it was made. It seemed to be a fatter version of a roti with a different sauce and cheese,” Sandeep recalls in a conversation with The Better India.
Over the next few months, the idea of starting a food business crept into his mind. But how does one make a pizza and build a business around the same? To learn the nitty gritty of such a business, he approached a few pizza outlets in Gurugram and Haryana. It was Pizza Wings in Rohtak where he got a chance to learn the ABCs of running a pizza store.
“I trained for about a month and a half at Pizza Wings. They taught me everything from how to make the dough and the sauce to how to deliver the pizza and run a store. I realised that making a pizza is not rocket science,” laughs Sandeep.
Upon completing his training, Sandeep returned home and shared his ambitious business plan with his family — opening a pizza shop in the bustling city centre. However, his father was reluctant to invest in the venture. Undeterred, Sandeep sought support from his brother and friends, who collectively contributed the initial investment of Rs 6.5 lakh to establish his inaugural store in Gohana.
“My father was upset about me quitting and returning. He expected me to make a name for myself as an engineer,” shares Sandeep. While convincing his family was a big challenge, the next challenge was finding skilled labour for the store in a city where many hadn’t tasted a pizza.
“I hired three boys who had completed Class 12 and trusted my vision. I taught them how to make the pizza base, sauce, pack the pizzas for service as well as delivery,” adds the CEO of Pizza Galleria.
The next and most crucial step was to create awareness and market the product. For this, Sandeep rode his bike around the city, knocking on doors and distributing pamphlets. He also carried a mike and speaker and went around announcing, ‘Khul gaya, khul gaya, ab aapke sheher mein Pizza Galleria khul gaya (Pizza Galleria is now open in your town/city)’.
This practice is followed by him even today. Every time a new store opens, he rides around the city shouting these slogans, followed by distributing pamphlets.
D-day arrived on 25 December 2015, when many people in Gohana tasted their first fresh-dough pizza. To entice customers, he offered the first 300 pizzas free, a practice followed even today at all new outlets. Slowly and steadily, thanks to the ambience and novelty of pizzas, a loyal customer base was created.
He started with a limited menu of seven to eight pizzas, garlic bread, and some pasta. It took almost a year for Sandeep’s pizza venture to taste success in Gohana. The biggest challenge, he explains, was teaching people to try a new dish.
“People didn’t know what’s so special about a fresh dough pizza or even how to eat it. Just like me, they too thought of it like a fat roti with a different chutney (sauce). I also had to ensure that the quality of the food was perfect in the absence of experienced chefs,” he shares.
He overcame this challenge by building Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed for making the pizzas, and then serving, packing, and delivering them.
Creating employment in small towns
Eventually, as the people of Gohana accepted and thronged to Pizza Galleria, Sandeep knew he was on the right track. This led him to open the next store in Panipat and Ganaur (Haryana) in 2017.
Since then, there has been no looking back. Today, he has 72 stores, which include company-owned outlets as well as franchise outlets in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Delhi-NCR, and Chandigarh. With this, he also has been able to provide employment to over 700 people.
“I feel proud that I’ve been able to create such a large family through Pizza Galleria. We had a meetup where we had invited over 100 staff members to Karnal. Seeing so many people together who are doing well today is my biggest accomplishment,” shares Sandeep.
Sandeep was also joined by his friend Ishan Chugh as a co-founder in 2017 after the third outlet was opened.
Pizza Galleria serves pizza, pasta, garlic bread, sandwiches, fries, burgers, soft drinks and more. Their pizzas start at Rs 69 and their combos start at Rs 89. Their bestsellers are the tandoori paneer pizza, pizza galleria exotica, and makhni pizza, and also offers a ‘Baahubali’ 24-inch pizza.
Their USP, apart from being vegetarian, is their tomato sauce and cheesy liquid sauce, which adds to the flavour of the pizza, states Sandeep.
Sandeep and Ishan appeared on Shark Tank India season 3. While they weren’t able to land a deal, it created a massive increase in demand, according to the founder. “We received over 4,000 enquiry calls from people interested in opening franchise outlets. It will help us achieve our vision of opening 500 outlets by 2030,” shares Sandeep.
Sandeep’s dream is to create an Indian brand with footprints across the world. His biggest validation, he says, eventually came from his father who praised Sandeep for his exceptional work.
“My dreams came true through Pizza Galleria. From drawing a salary of Rs 9,000 per month, I’ve been able to buy my own house and car. What matters most to me is my family’s praise, which is something money can’t buy,” he shares.
When Sandeep had his first bite of pizza in 2014, little did he know that he would be selling over 7 lakh pizzas a month a decade later!
“Work hard to fulfil your dreams. Don’t stop yourself from achieving big dreams because you’re from a small town. It’s the best time to start a business. Start small; even food carts have turned into massive businesses. Live your life in such a way that it becomes an example for others,” he shares.
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Edited by Pranita Bhat, Images Courtesy Sandeep Jangra
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