Wat-a-Burger

Wat-a-Burger was started by an airline pilot. Rajat Jaiswal, who has logged more than 7,000 flying hours, built the business in his time between flights with his childhood friend Farman Beig, who had come back from business studies in the UK in 2015. The company was registered on 14 February 2016 and opened its first outlet in Noida, just outside Delhi, the same month.

The pitch is in the chain’s tagline, “India ka Burger”: an American format with Indian flavours. The menu is built around vegetarian patties, from aloo tikki and paneer to a ghost chilli burger, next to chicken burgers in tandoori, makhani and peri peri styles, with no beef.

It grew mostly through franchising and away from the big metros. By May 2021 it had 60 outlets in 21 cities across 11 states, 44 of them franchises and more than 60 per cent in smaller, second-tier cities. Revenue rose from about 1 crore rupees in its first full year to 30 crore in 2019–20, then fell to 13.1 crore in the first pandemic year.

Outlets in cities across India, most of them franchises outside the big metros.

• Q Burger (Taiwan, since 2013). Taiwan’s fast-growing breakfast chain, where burgers are what you eat at seven in the morning. Also built on chicken and beef.
• Tastien (China, since 2012). China’s fast-growing “Chinese burger” chain, with hand-rolled buns baked to order and fillings from Chinese cooking. Also built on chicken and beef.
• Lucky Pierrot (Japan, since 1987). Hakodate’s beloved local burger chain, with circus-themed shops and a sweet-and-spicy Chinese Chicken Burger. Also built on chicken and beef.
• Laya Burger (Taiwan, since 2002). One of Taiwan’s big three breakfast chains, now baking its burger buns from an 18-hour sourdough. Also built on chicken and beef.