My tryst with Pulla Reddy Sweets dates back to somewhere in 1976-77. This was when we travelled to Hyderabad, via the road highway from Bengaluru (then Bangalore), via Kurnool, the original establishment of this famous and most reliable sweet shop. You see, if the marketing material says “Made with Ghee” we can believe it. 100%. Just like MTR in Bengaluru.
Kurnool was just more than half way from Bengaluru and we used to have lunch in Kurnool.
I was 14 yrs and I used to pester my mom, that we pick up some sweets in the Pulla Reddy shop. I don’t remember how I got to know about this sweet shop, however, I do feel it was one of my cousins from my father’s side.
My father was not generally encouraging of this idea but he used to relent and take us to the shop.
They used to have limited varieties but we used to pick up some. Also, by mid afternoon, many sweets used to be sold out and fresh ones used to come in early evening.
Fast forward to 19996-97, Pulla Reddy Sweets opened a branch in Begumpet, Hyderabad. I used to wonder why they had such a large outlet and the shelves were at the far end leaving lots of open space. I was 35 years old.
I used to pick up sweets at this outlet, as my pregnant wife, used to like sweets, and on one such visit I asked a senior person sitting at the counter – why are the shelves at the far end leaving so much space? The gentleman said in Telugu, if we have a large carpet it will be useful in future. Business wisdom.
True to his words, today this large open space is being used to display their large product profile which has expanded multifold since 1997.
Fast forward to 2024, I am 62 years old, and now we stay in Kukkatpally, and still being a dedicated Pulla Reddy Sweets fan I visit their outlet in Kukkatpally. Pulla Reddy Sweets is a business and marketing giant and I am no match for their success story.
However, I have six suggestions, and hope this is received in good faith.
#1 – Replace Peanut Oil with a Neutral Oil for Pickles and Savories
Peanut oil brings a particular tinge to the final product many a times overshadowing the flavors of the original oil. And, many people are allergic to peanuts without them knowing it.
Replace with a neutral oil such as Sunflower oil which has no over powering aroma nor taste from reputed players and let the flavors of product ingredients such as spices dominate.
#2 – Do not use Green Peas in Samosas
There are a lot of fake Peas in circulation and the ones being used in samosas are not of good source. Use from a reputed source, if you have to use them. And, kneading them with aloo is better for chewing.
Also, do not give sauce sachets with Samosas but give chutney, which will trigger higher sales.
#3 – Reduce sweetness in Jalebi, Jahangir and Mysore Pak
They sweetness in these sweets is too high. Young children, girls, and elders will find it hard to handle this excessive sweetness. This may be reducing your customer base silently.
#4 – Poha Mixture Not Filtered
Poha mixture is not being properly filtered resulting in loss of nearly 50 grams of poha powder in a 250 grams. This is not happening in all packets but, in many.
#5 – Not Covering Sweets while billing
Pulla Reddy Sweets is known for its hygiene. While billing, sweet boxes are not being covered, and employees are speaking over them. Covering with a transparent plastic sheet will help while not costing more.
#6 – Employees in the Evening shift
Employees in the evening shift are not well trained. While, employees in the day time shift are better trained.
They are not motivated to allow the customer pick and chose resulting in a unsatisfactory experience. It appears day shift employees are mostly seniors who are generally more adept and understanding individual customers needs.
That’s it. If you have any suggestions to make do post them here in the comments section. I will forward them to appropriate sources.
Thank you for reading.
From an ardent 62 year old fan of Pulla Reddy Sweets.
