From Shelf to Storefront: Why Haldiram’s Is Betting Bigger on Dubai

For decades, Haldiram’s built deep recall across the UAE through its packaged snacks and sweets, becoming a pantry staple for generations of Indian households and increasingly familiar to a wider audience. Now, the brand is taking that equity from supermarket shelves into physical dining spaces, with Dubai emerging as a key launchpad for its international quick-service ambitions.

Leading this expansion is Divya Kowshik, Business Head- International(QSRs), who sees the move not as a reinvention, but as a natural next step for a brand already woven into consumer memory. In this conversation, she speaks about why now was the right time to scale, what the first Dubai outlet taught them, and how Haldiram’s plans to evolve from nostalgia-led favourite to a global Indian food destination.

Haldiram’s built an enormous recall in the UAE through packaged snacks and sweets. What convinced you this was the right moment to move from shelf to storefront in Dubai, and why now for a second outlet?

We’ve had strong brand equity in the UAE for years through retail, so customers were already telling us something important: there was trust, recall, and emotional connection. Moving into restaurants felt like a natural extension of that relationship. The second outlet is simply validation of the demand we were already seeing.

Your Dubai format blends dine-in with quick service. What did the first store teach you that has shaped the second outlet?

The first store taught us that nostalgia may bring people in, but consistency and experience are what bring them back. For the second outlet, the focus has been on sharper execution: faster throughput, a more efficient layout, and refining what already works rather than changing it for the sake of change.

Dubai is crowded with Indian food options, from old-school neighbourhood favourites to premium dining. Where does Haldiram’s fit in that landscape?

We’re not trying to compete at either extreme. Our place is in the middle ground where quality, consistency, familiarity and accessibility meet. What we offer is trust at scale, a place where customers know exactly what they’ll get every single time, whether it’s a quick bite or a family meal.

Much of Haldiram’s appeal comes from emotional familiarity. How do you preserve that while evolving for younger consumers?

The core doesn’t change. Taste, recipes and authenticity remain non-negotiable. What evolves is the format and presentation. Younger consumers are not necessarily asking for something different; they want it delivered in a way that suits their lifestyle: cleaner menus, better packaging and a more contemporary environment.

The first Dubai outlet launched with the line “Come Home to Haldiram’s.” As you expand, are you still serving the diaspora first, or building a broader global brand?

We began with the diaspora, absolutely, and that emotional anchor remains important. But the larger ambition is to build Haldiram’s as a global Indian food brand, one where anyone, regardless of background, feels comfortable walking in and ordering.

What does the UAE and GCC roadmap look like over the next two to three years?

Dubai is our international base, and our immediate focus is to grow within the UAE market. Our approach is measured. We are not looking to overextend. The priority is to build a strong and sustainable footprint first, then let performance guide the next moves. Other markets are certainly on the horizon, and those plans will unfold at the right time.

Five years from now, what would success in Dubai look like?

Store count and revenue are outcomes. What really matters is habit. If we reach the point where people casually say, “Let’s meet at Haldiram’s,” without thinking twice, that’s when you know the brand has truly arrived.