Written By: Gouri Ghosh

In India, street food is not only a food, it's a feeling, from spicy pav bhaji in Mumbai to pani puri stalls that are connected in every nook and corner. India's legendary street food has always brought people together, regardless of their regional background. In 2025, this snack love is transitioning from humble street stalls to formal businesses. Regional snack chains are expanding into formal franchise models. And for investors, it represents a huge opportunity: the street food franchise in the Indian market is emerging as one of the most appealing industries to grow in.

If you want the best street food franchise in India 2025, some snack brands are providing viable and cost-effective solutions.

Top Regional Snacks That Are Winning the Franchise Game

Not every street food is built to scale, but a few categories have already proven themselves as strong and profitable franchise models in India. If you’re planning to invest in a street food franchise in India, here are the best options:

Pav Bhaji Franchise

• Why invest: Pav bhaji is a Mumbai icon but enjoys pan-India demand. Easy to prepare, high margins, and loved by all age groups.
• Scalable because: Homogenous recipes can be duplicated in metros and Tier-2 cities without compromising taste.
• Well-known brands: Pav Bhaji Hut, Nylon Pav Bhaji.
• Franchise investment range: Typically below ₹20–25 lakhs, which makes it one of the top food franchise under 25 lakhs in India 2025.

Pani Puri Franchise

• Why invest: India's favorite snack, retailed under several names—pani puri, golgappa, or puchka.
• Scalable because: Hygiene-centric models and even IoT vending machines (such as Epanipuri Kartz) are turning pani puri into a reliable, branded experience.
• Successful models: BTech Pani Puri, Epanipuri Kartz.
• Investment range for franchise: Value-for-money setups from as low as ₹2–6 lakhs, perfect for first-time investors.

Chaat & Dahi vada Franchise

• Why invest: Delhi-style chaats are renowned throughout India. With robust consumer demand, they suit malls, high streets, and food courts.
• Scalable because: Chaat stalls are being standardized into hygienic, branded formats with training and supply chain support.
• Notable brand: Chaat Puchka Franchise in India.

South Indian Tiffins Franchise

• Why invest: Idli, dosa, and vada are not just breakfast anymore; they're quick snacks that sell well throughout the day.
• Scalable due to: South Indian cuisine has pan-India popularity and is easily compatible with quick-service restaurant (QSR) formats.
• Key brands: Various snack franchisees in India are surfacing, aimed at malls, airports, and business district locations.

For investors looking "best snacks franchise in India" or searching "snacks franchise cost", these four segments, pav bhaji, pani puri, chaats, and South Indian tiffins, are the most scalable and lucrative street food franchise India opportunities in 2025.

10 Reasons Street Food Franchises Are Attracting Investors in 2025

Here's why investors are increasingly opting for street food franchise India instead of burgers, pizzas, or coffee chains.

Citizens want hygiene without sacrificing street food appeal

• Street food has always been popular, but hygiene was a major concern. 
• Now, franchises are addressing this issue with clean kitchens, disposable plates, and even contactless pani puri stations.
•  This helps investors reach a huge market that was hungry for a clean option.

Snacks are now everyday meals

• Unlike tacos or burgers, pav bhaji, dosa, and chaat are already a part of India's regular consumption behavior. 
• A family might have dosa every other day, and students might pick up pani puri every day after school. 
• This provides you with very high repeat customers, not one-off sales.

Inexpensive entry point

• The cost of an Indian street food franchise is much less than that of global brands. 
• While a pizza joint can be priced at ₹1 crore+, most snack franchises in India begin below ₹10–15 lakhs. 
• That's why they are normally included in the best food franchise under 25 lakhs in India 2025.

More margins than global fast food

• In contrast to imported cheese or meat-based menus, the cost of producing an Indian snack is significantly lower. 
• This provides better gross margins (55–65%), thus making the pav bhaji franchise business model extremely profitable.

Untapped Tier-2 & Tier-3 potential

• International fast-food chains target large metros, leaving smaller cities to themselves. 
• Such markets yearn for branded food at affordable prices. 
• Street food franchise India models are a perfect fit—cheap, reliable, and scalable in towns where global chains fail to make a dent.

Customer loyalty embedded within

• You don't have to build demand. 
• Everybody already likes pani puri, pav bhaji, and dosa. 
• As soon as you open a clean, well-branded store, people turn up.
•  This lowers marketing expenses for investors than with newer food ideas.

Established business models and low risk

• Indians have loved snacks for many years.
•  These are time-tested, experimental cuisines. 
• A chaat puchka franchise in India or a pani puri franchise is not the same risk as opening a new cuisine.

Tech makes scaling easy

• With cloud kitchens, digital kiosks, and delivery apps, even a single snack shop can connect with thousands of customers online. 
• Innovative concepts such as Epanipuri Kartz (IoT-powered pani puri vending kiosks) show how technology can be used to grow snack brands to a national level.

Social media drives visibility

• Food is the most common category on the internet. 
• A new pani puri idea or a trendy pav bhaji vendor can go viral overnight on YouTube or Instagram. 
• This provides franchises with free natural word-of-mouth marketing and enables them to grow quickly.

Good franchise support ecosystem

• In contrast to the past, contemporary Indian street food franchise brands now provide end-to-end assistance with recipe standardization, supply chain, employee training, and marketing. 
• For a new investor, this equates to plug-and-play business models with an increased success rate.

Success Stories: Indian Snack Brands Becoming Franchise Empires

BTech Pani Puri 

BTech Pani Puri is looking to become a fun, pocket-friendly pani puri brand suited for tech parks, colleges, and youth hangouts. 

         Investment: ₹2–6 lakhs

• Area: 100–150 sq. ft
• Royalty: 5% of monthly sales

Most suitable for investors seeking a low-cost food franchise below 10 lakhs in India in 2025.

Epanipuri Kartz 

Epanipuri Kartz is transforming pani puri into a futuristic snack through IoT-fitted vending machines. 

• Current Scale: 300+ machines in 40+ cities
• Customer Base: 3.5 lakh+ customers served so far
• Expansion Plan: Opening 290+ new stores by 2026
• Why It Works: 
• Hygienic, scalable, and media-friendly — ideal for malls, airports, and corporate campuses.
•  Perfect for investors looking for tech-savvy Indian street food franchise options.

Pav Bhaji Hut

Franchise Model: Pav Bhaji Hut operates a formal pav bhaji franchise business model with standard recipes and uniform quality.

Investment: You put in about ₹20–25 lakhs based on the location (mall, high street, or Tier-2 city).

Why It Works:

• Families, children, and working professionals alike like pav bhaji, so you cater to a large customer base.
• You can easily replicate it, since the ingredients are basic and inexpensive.

Success Story: The brand went beyond Mumbai and lured franchisees who recognized fast traction in metros and Tier-2 cities. Investors supported it due to its scalable business and repeat purchases.

Nylon Pav Bhaji

Franchise Model: Nylon Pav Bhaji constructs its identity upon the legendary Nylon Market flavors. It provides a scalable business and strong brand identity.

Investment: You require around ₹20–25 lakhs to set up an outlet, subject to size and city.

Both Pav Bhaji Hut and Nylon Pav Bhaji demonstrate how street food franchise India brands can grow into national success stories with the correct support.

Challenges to Keep in Mind Before Purchasing a Street Food Franchise

Understanding these before you invest in a snacks franchise in India will help you avoid costly mistakes.

Conclusion

Street food in India has expanded from unorganized stalls to organized franchise models. Investors can now come in with minimal investment and still benefit from enormous consumer demand.

If you desire a snacks franchise in India that suits your pocket and provides high ROI, then the current time is the most opportune moment to invest.

Disclaimer: The brands mentioned in this blog are the recommendations provided by the author. FranchiseBAZAR does not claim to work with these brands / represent them / or are associated with them in any manner. Investors and prospective franchisees are to do their own due diligence before investing in any franchise business at their own risk and discretion. FranchiseBAZAR or its Directors disclaim any liability or risks arising out of any transactions that may take place due to the information provided in this blog.