How this sandwich shop in Santacruz continues to serve Mumbaikars

For Mumbai a sandwich is not just a street snack it is a great equaliser mdash yoursquoll find officegoers students and cabbies alike queuing up for the same bite Itrsquos a memory a routine a taste signalling comfort reliability and childhood flavours that never changedFor many NRIs visiting Sandwizzaa near Santacruz station is on their todo list It means familiarity in a chaotic city mdash a taste you can count on even if everything around has shiftedAs the suburbsrsquo beloved sandwich shop approaches its 40th year in 2026 we caught up with secondgeneration custodian Pankaj Sharma who looks back at a journey started by his father Omprakash and his brothers Mukesh Ramendra and Surendra shaped by chance encounters and quiet determinationOmprakash L and Pankaj Sharma at the Sandwizza stall near Santacruz station the humble corner where a nowbeloved brand began its journey PicsAshish RajeInterestingly the legacy didnrsquot begin with sandwiches Long before Sandwizzaa his father uncles and grandfather ran a paan shop at the very spot where the outlet stands today They worked hard built trust yet something felt incomplete mdash the product didnrsquot carry the dignity they desiredThen one monsoon afternoon in 1986 destiny intervened Stuck outside a busy Udupi restaurant in town where he had gone to get stock for their paan shop Omprakash Sharma noticed a sandwich cart overflowing with customers That spark travelled home with him Within months mdash with family recipes and borrowed encouragement they started Swastik Sandwiches serving just three or four classics shymdash fresh vegetables toasted bread and melted cheese One day a customer asked for a sandwich topped with potato like the aloo masala packed for train journeys Pankajrsquos mother Sumitra gave it some thought and came up with a recipe that night The next day they introduced the Aloo Toast mdash still a bestseller still unchanged still Mumbai on a plateldquoIn 1999ndash2000 we introduced grilled sandwichesrdquo Pankaj recalls the quiet shift that redefined the menu ldquoThen came another turning point around 2005ndash06 as Indians got a taste of mayonnaise with McDonaldrsquos entry into the market We were one of the first in Mumbai to create a strictly vegetarian mayo sandwich It took off instantly More innovations followed By 2008 Spinach Corn and Chilli Garlic Toast found mostly in fivestar restaurants joined the lineup It instantly became a bestseller and remains one todayrdquo he addsVeg Cheese Grill SandwichIn 2008 when the family attempted to trademark the name legal complications arose So they rechristened it Sandwizzaa while the company remained Swastik Food Mart Pvt Ltd The new name brought clarity distinctiveness mdash and a fresh chapterPankaj admits that location has played a role in the brandrsquos success too ldquoSantacruz a weddingshopping hub drew families and NRIs from across the city Word travelled mdash this is where you get Mumbairsquos best sandwichrdquo shares PankajToday they have 26 sandwiches tested and tweaked before earning a place on the menu However it strikes a rare balance rooted in tradition yet open to experimentation without gimmicks or trendchasing ldquoWe never thought about it as filling a market gap We had one mission mdash freshness and the best possible quality every single dayrdquo says Pankaj That meant decisions many thought were foolish For instance Omprakash insisted on using Amul butter even though most others chose cheaper variants Suppliers warned they wouldnrsquot survive But the family didnrsquot budge ldquoMy brothers and I only wanted to give our customers the bestrdquo recalls Omprakash for who quality wasnrsquot just a philosophy it was a ritual Since the first day every vegetable has been handpicked at dawn No contractors no shortcuts Just to explain scale mdash back then they bought two to three kilos of tomatoes a day Today they source 300ndash400 kilos a day mdash still selected by their staff at 3 am Frozen ingredients are a nogo Nothing is premade Everything is freshVeggie Mayo SandwichWhile they donrsquot bake their own bread from early on the family realised that a sandwich is only as good as its base so they worked with a single vendor to develop a customised recipe ldquoThe thickness of the bread matters Grilled sandwiches need a precise 9 mm slice for even toasting while raw sandwiches require 12 mm to hold layers of vegetables without collapsing During staff training they are taught to butter the bread and smearing chutney for a few days because it requires deft handlingrdquo says Pankaj who strongly believes their brand is built on consistency and culture ldquoIn four wersquove watched trends like Italian Korean BBQ boba tea everything come and go After the pandemic Indiarsquos Quick Service Restaurants QSR scene shifted into PSR Partial Service Restaurants Indian customers want comfort food quality and freshness and they donrsquot mind waiting five to 10 minutes for itrdquoSandwizzaa posted Rs 43 crore in revenue last year within a steady annual range of Rs 53ndash60 crore and has maintained strong growth mdash 3156 per cent in FY 2024ndash25 4831 per cent in 2023ndash24 and 5140 per cent in 2022ndash23 with 2395 per cent projected for 2025ndash26 The brand reported Rs 19 crore in net profit operates 19 outlets and plans to add 24 more in the next two years Every outlet serves the same menu sandwiches beverages fries with only five cafeacuteformat stores offering coffeeldquoWersquove scaled thoughtfully In 2007 we partnered with Sachin Lele Amit Saraf and Uday Lokras who helped us build systems and processesrdquo Growth also came with expansion into Spicezzaa mdash a spice brand legacy they inherited from an uncle in Rajasthan whose shuttered business they revived by acquiring and preserving his recipes Therersquos tea frankie dabeli sabzi pav bhaji pani puri and sandwich masalaVeggie Mayo SandwichThere is a lot to take notes from this bootstrapped brand in terms of operations branding scaling and longterm planning that they sometimes donrsquot teach about familyowned brands in Management schools In that regard Sandwizzaarsquos story feels homemade one that is built on instinct family repetition and the belief that a simple sandwich deserves respect