From a modest beginning to prepping over 3,000 sandwiches in under a minute, here’s how Mr. Sandwich delivered a bold new bite with Swiggy.
In the tourist-favourite city of Udaipur, where the aroma of North Indian snacks filled the air, one visionary entrepreneur set out to do things differently. What began as a humble food venture soon evolved into a beloved local favourite – Mr. Sandwich, a brand that reimagined the city’s snack scene with an innovative menu and a whole lot of heart.
Partnering with Swiggy empowered the emerging sandwich brand to scale smartly, refine operations, and thrive in a fast-moving market. This is their story, one of flavour, determination, and the power of meaningful collaboration.
From a Kirana Shop to a Growing Cafe Chain
Born into a family that ran a local kirana store, Sahil Mangwani grew up in Udaipur, watching and learning how business worked from a young age. By the age of 10, he was already helping customers and learning the ropes. “It never felt like work. I liked being around people, learning how things function,” says Sahil, who always had an entrepreneurial spark.
By 10th grade, he took up a part-time job as a sales executive. “That’s when I truly experienced customer interaction in business,” he recalls. At just 16, he found himself pitching to big builders, handling sales and gaining exposure to the world of entrepreneurship. “It gave me the confidence to think bigger,” he adds. This exposure fueled his desire to do more, pushing him to explore various opportunities.
Motivated by a passion for growth, Sahil moved to Pune to work at a call centre before working with his brother in the construction supply business. Uncertain of what but very clear on why, he returned to Udaipur. “I knew I wanted to build something of my own,” he shares. It was a trip to Indore, where his grandmother lived, that sparked the moment of clarity. The city boasted a thriving sandwich shop culture.
He kept asking himself, “Every city has a go-to pizza or burger joint. Why not sandwiches?”
To truly learn the business, Sahil joined a sandwich shop in Indore. He did everything – washed utensils, took orders, experimented with flavours, and observed what worked. “It was never about just making food. It was about understanding what makes people come back.”
With a vision in mind, Sahil went back home and started working with his brother. They studied operations through YouTube, curated a menu, and readied themselves to launch. But at the age of 17, raising funds wasn’t easy. His mother’s quiet support became the foundation on which Mr. Sandwich was built. “No one was ready to invest. So I took out a loan by pledging my mother’s jewellery. That’s how much we believed in the idea,” he shares.
That belief took shape in 2013, when Mr. Sandwich opened its doors in Udaipur. With a menu full of innovative sandwiches, their fresh concept found love quickly, especially among students and young professionals. Sahil mentions, “At that time, there weren’t any popular fast food joints in Udaipur. We stood out because there was nothing like us.”
A few years later, in 2016, they sold their first franchise in Ahmedabad and launched a second outlet in Udaipur. By the following year, Sahil further explored factors that would strengthen his business. Then came the big break in 2018 when Swiggy entered Udaipur.
How Swiggy Raised the (Sandwich) Bar
Swiggy’s arrival in Udaipur changed the game for Sahil. Within two months, they saw their orders skyrocket. Together, they optimised Mr. Sandwich’s menu, introduced popular items, leveraged Swiggy’s in-app promotions to boost visibility, and streamline kitchen ops. The goal had evolved. What began as a mission to create great sandwiches quickly became a larger ambition – to build a system where scale and quality could rise in tandem.
“When I came onboard in 2018, we saw great potential in Mr. Sandwich. Sandwiches only contribute to 6-7 per cent of Udaipur’s food market, but Mr. Sandwich owns almost 5-5.5 per cent of that.” says Ashish Mittal, Swiggy’s Area Sales Manager and the brand’s Account Manager for the past year. “Sahil had the vision, we just helped him amplify it.”
The first step was optimisation, which included refining the menu, adding photos of bestsellers, and improving online discoverability. But just as things were looking up, challenges began to surface. The pandemic caused a decline in footfall, and franchise stores in other cities closed. But instead of pausing, Mr. Sandwich launched a cloud kitchen and shifted focus online. “At one point, we were using just 10 bread packets a day. With Swiggy’s reach, we scaled to 500-plus daily orders, 70 per cent of which came from the platform,” shares Sahil.
During this period, one standout moment was the launch of the Crazy Deal Campaign. “We clocked 1,100 orders in a single day, around 3,800 sandwiches, all prepped in 50 seconds each. It was an intense 14-hour streak with just 12 staff members and the Swiggy team involved. We still talk about that day,” says Ashish.
True to their spirit, the sandwich joint’s menu continues to expand. From combo meals to beverages like cold coffee and other crowd-favourite pairings, it’s clear that innovation is a constant. Ashish further adds, “Sahil is always ready for experiments, which made our roadmap very easy”.
Armed with perseverance and fresh momentum, Mr. Sandwich began laying the foundation for what came next. “Broadening their scope, they went ‘beyond the slice’, launching Sands Coffee, offering premium cold coffees at just ₹25, and Cakeonomy, to ensure no one misses a birthday due to budget,” shares Ashish. These ventures aren’t just profit-driven, they’re rooted in purpose. Backed by Swiggy’s consumer insights, the team understood their audience better, identified real gaps and built products that met their needs.
“Swiggy didn’t just help us survive; it helped us evolve,” Sahil mentions. “We could experiment, fail fast and grow with data on our side.”
And next on the course, naturally, was a city-wise expansion.
Carrying forward its progress, the brand is now making its way into Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, and Kota, with Kota proving particularly promising thanks to its student-heavy demographic. Today, Mr. Sandwich is eyeing expansion into 10 more cities, supported by strong funding plans and franchise models.
And the best part?
Sahil’s father, who once ran a kirana store, now works alongside him, building the family’s new legacy.
From the busy streets of Udaipur to the hearts of countless snack lovers, Mr. Sandwich’s journey proves that with the right mix of passion, perseverance, and partnership, even the humblest dream-led venture can rise to the top. Today, the beloved brand continues to inspire, proving that with an insatiable hunger for more, success can, quite literally, become the bread and butter.
Author Bio
Swiggy Editorial is a team of writers who work with the company's Employer Branding team.
