How often do you eat outside? And how often do you crave a plate of momos? India is a land of food diversity. Every state has its own special dish, and in almost every city you can find global cuisines too. From street stalls to luxury restaurants, the variety is endless.
In recent years, with the rise of the startup wave, food has been completely rebranded. Everything is getting packaged and sold with a new identity, be it biryani, chaats, or even something as simple as coconut water. And if you live in a big city, you’ve surely noticed the explosion of new restaurants and outlets around every corner.
It was in this same food revolution that two young entrepreneurs decided to reimagine momos. Not in the casual, everyday street-side way, but with a unique idea. And that’s how Wow! Momo was born, a brand that today we see in almost every mall we walk into.
The journey of Wow! Momo was started in 2008 at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. Friends Sagar Daryani and Binod Homagai often discussed business ideas. They weren’t looking for something exotic, but they wanted something scalable and relatable.
The momo, which is a Tibetan snack, had already made its way to Indian streets. Every corner stall served steamed dumplings for ₹20–30 a plate. But there was no organized player. Hygiene was questionable, variety was limited, and no one had thought of giving momos a brand identity.
With just ₹30,000 in savings, Sagar and Binod opened their first kiosk in a Spencer’s retail outlet. They began selling their momos themselves.
But one of the biggest problems is the pricing. When you are getting a plate for INR 20, why do people pay an extra price for it? Well, that’s why. Wow! Momo played it in a unique way, and that’s a lesson that we all should learn.
The success of Wow! Momo wasn’t just because they sold a popular snack. Plenty of stalls and cafes were already selling momos in every corner of the city. The difference was in how they sold it.
While others treated momos as a quick roadside snack, wow! Momo treated it like a product that could be branded, scaled, and premiumized. This shift in thinking was the real game changer.
Street food has always faced the problem of hygiene. Wow! Momo solved this by giving customers a clean and safe alternative without losing the street food feel.
And on top of that, they innovated. Instead of sticking to steamed chicken and veg momos, they experimented with fried momos, tandoori momos, and chocolate momos. Every new idea created excitement.
And when people tried different flavors, they got excited and attracted to the brand.
Now, let’s talk about positioning, because this is the single most important reason behind their growth. If you look at it closely, wow! Momo didn’t invent momos. What they did was reposition momos in people’s minds.
On the street, momos were seen as cheap and quick. In Wow! Momo outlets, they were seen as trendy, safe, and fun.
This shift in perception is what allowed them to charge ₹80–100 for a plate of momos that people were used to buying for ₹20 outside. Customers weren’t paying just for the food; they were paying for the experience, the hygiene, the branding, and the uniqueness.
That’s exactly what great positioning does, and it takes something ordinary and makes it feel extraordinary.
And because of all of that, they got great traction, and that led to immense growth.
One more unique point is their marketing strategy. Most of the startups, especially food startups, rely on advertisements and influencer tie-ups. But wow! Momo took a very different route to branding. They understood that in food, taste and experience speak louder than any TV ad. So instead of burning cash on marketing, they let their product and presence do the talking: by placing kiosks and outlets inside malls and high-footfall retail spaces, they tapped into a ready audience. People already came to shop, and momos became the quick snack.
Their bright yellow branding made the outlets instantly visible from a distance. That’s a clear marketing strategy.
So, they have grabbed major attention from people by doing all of this.
While the Wow! Momo story is inspiring; it’s not without challenges. For the financial year 2023–24 (FY24), the company reported an operating revenue of ₹478.68 crore. However, it also posted a net loss of ₹114.4 crore, slightly higher than the previous year.
Scaling a food brand across India is no small feat, and wow! Momo’s journey has been powered by strong investor confidence. Over the years, the company has raised a total of $152 million (₹1,260 crore) across multiple funding rounds.
That clearly shows how investors are confident about the business. Wow! Momo is living proof that extraordinary businesses can be built from the most ordinary ideas.
Also Read: Rocket raises $15M Seed, co-led by Salesforce Ventures and Accel
