From Young Foodies to Mad Chefs

"Never trust a skinny chef" – read a quote framed on the walls of one of the most visited burger joints in Dhaka. The man beside the quote in the frame was Arman Mohammed, the co-founder of Madchef, who is also proclaimed as the 'Mad' portion of 'Madchef'. The 'Chef' part of the name is attributed to Labib Tarafdar, who is responsible for the idea and vision of running a place driven by the craving for delicious burgers.

The two foodies started their journey in the food cart business separately 4 years ago, but over time their paths crossed as they had similar goals. "I was never a risk taker. I don't have that in me. So, Arman is the business mind behind it all. Choosing the right partner is very important. It was his call to keep expanding across Dhaka and establishing the brand", shared Labib.

"Promotion is the key to establishing a brand and initially we relied heavily on word of mouth as we set up stalls in different educational institutions across the city. As young people, we wanted Madchef to not only be a place to eat, but also a hangout zone for the youth", claimed Arman.

Reminiscing sour memories from the journey, Labib spoke about the incident of a bug on a lettuce which was a major setback for their first outlet. "I remember I almost cried that night. But I did not lose my will and I responded to every single complaint with apologies and we tried our best to restore and deliver optimum quality food. Such incidents are bound to come around and your journey depends a lot on how you hold your ground at that time", said Labib conclusively.

As a few words of advice, Arman stated, "Be passionate and committed towards your mission. Be sharp with accounts because cash business is vulnerable and carry out your recruitment process carefully."

The journey of Madchef is full of flavors and a stellar example of the saying – if you do what you love and love what you do, success is bound to follow you.