When seven school friends—Jasim Menattil, Nayeem Malik, Vishnu N Menon, Sarbas Ahamed, Mohammed Arshaq, Mehroof Ahamed, and Muhsin Junaid-realized we were bound together not only by our deep friendship but also by a shared passion for food, we decided to turn this into something tangible. Our weekend adventures, searching for new and exciting flavors, had developed into a dream: to start a venture that could bring our culinary discoveries to others. Inspired by reels of food trucks in other countries, we envisioned creating a similar experience in Kerala. And so, our brainchild, Just Loaf, was born. We chose to launch in Tirur, a town in Malappuram, Kerala, where the food culture was still developing. The location offered us the convenience of staying close to home while we experimented with our concept.

Initially, the plan was to set up a momo truck along the ever-crowded Kozhikode beach. But without the necessary licenses for food trucks in Kerala at the time, we pivoted to setting up our food truck on a private premise in our hometown. Tirur, although not known for its food scene, provided a chance for us to carve out a niche and introduce a new dining experience. Just a week before opening, one of us suggested a twist—why not offer fresh burgers instead of momos? At that time, the concept of freshly made burgers was rare across India, where fast food giants like McDonald’s and Burger King dominated. This idea brought a new direction to our food truck, one that would soon capture the attention of our town.

Despite our enthusiasm, none of us had formal culinary training. To bring our vision of fresh, grilled burgers to life, we interviewed chefs and finally found the right talent to make our concept work. We added Indian flavors to our burgers, infusing a touch of local taste into a typically American dish, creating a unique offering that drew in curious customers. We used social media, particularly Instagram, to share our journey and generate excitement around our new food truck. Starting with just two employees, our team gradually built a loyal following, and word of our unique burgers spread.

Our journey, however, wasn’t always smooth. Each of us pooled in ₹1 lakh from our families to get the food truck off the ground, thinking it would be a fun way to make extra money while in college. But the reality hit hard—there were no returns for the first two years. We often found ourselves working late into the night after college, collecting raw materials on scooters, handling operations, and even doing tasks like disposing of waste ourselves. We learned the ropes of the business from the ground up, encountering challenges we hadn’t anticipated.

Our hands-on experience, though grueling, built the foundation of our business knowledge. Over time, our efforts paid off, and our reputation grew. When COVID-19 struck, we saw it as an opportunity for a major shift. With all of us graduated, we decided to transition Just Loaf from a food truck to a casual dining restaurant, realizing that scaling up a food truck model would be challenging. We opened our first restaurant in Perinthalmanna, and while we thought we had the know-how from our food truck days, we soon realized that running a restaurant was a different ballgame. With 56 seats constantly filling up, we faced new challenges, like managing increased customer demand and maintaining quality at scale.

We learned from our mistakes, particularly the importance of not cutting corners on infrastructure. We invested in professional-grade machinery and ensured high standards of food quality, setting the stage for future expansion. We reorganized our roles, with Vishnu taking on the role of Managing Director, overseeing finance and business development, while the others specialized in different areas like procurement, operations, HR, and marketing. This focus on professionalism and clear roles allowed us to steadily expand.

By 2021, Just Loaf had opened its third outlet in Calicut, followed by locations in Thrissur in 2023 and Kochi in 2024. Our biggest move came in 2024, with the launch of a flagship 5,000 square foot restaurant in Bangalore’s Koramangala area. Along with it, we introduced a second brand, Daily Bakehouse. Through our research, we identified a growing demand for Indian specialty coffee, which led us to create a café experience that showcased high-quality Indian coffee beans alongside artisan baked goods. Daily Bakehouse quickly became a part of the Koramangala outlet’s appeal, offering a unique blend of local and international flavors. By the end of 2024, we plan to launch a complete specialty coffee experience center in Bangalore, further elevating our presence in the city’s competitive coffee scene. To date, we have raised ₹11.05 crores to support our growth and expansion plans.

By mid-2024, we saw a gap in the market—a lack of branded breakfast places in India. Seizing this opportunity, we expanded the Just Loaf menu to include American breakfast items, and many of our outlets began opening as early as 8 a.m., catering to the brunch crowd. Our persistence and ability to adapt paid off. By the end of 2024, Just Loaf reached a revenue of ₹8.6 crores, with a projection to close the year at ₹15 crores. We now set our sights on doubling our revenue each year, driven by the same passion and determination that started it all.