A small roadside stall that reads “Aunty ke Momos” on an old tattered banner in Taimoor Nagar, New Friends Colony, has gained popularity over time. What has made Aunty excel when she sells her stuff at a price higher than the price fixed by other street vendors? If you are hungry, all you need to have is Rs. 50 in your pocket and you can pamper yourself enough with not just Momos but dishes like White Sauce Pasta or French Fries. What makes “Aunty” popular is:

Talking: Aunty talks to her customers, especially the ones who are regular or have come at least once before. She sees that she takes a regular feedback and talks to the customers to entertain them a bit. Some people who are talking amongst themselves don’t find themselves alone when Aunty takes interest in what they are talking and even gives her valuable feedback at times.

Bonding: There are some people she has such good terms with that they would wish her while they are crossing the stall. Girls, as I have seen, talk to her like they are talking to their favorite aunt. She would like to know what is going on in their life or why one of the girls in their group hasn’t been seen for a few days. The girls would stand around her and even fry momos for her when she is making something else for the people standing around. I have seen her male customers frying momos while she is preparing biryani for other customers.

Certifications: She is certified in Thai, Chinese and Italian cuisines. She hardly flaunts it but the ones who are regular know it well. She talks about cooking different cuisines and what makes her momos healthier and better than others’. She is visited by her European friends at times who seem to appreciate her cooking.

USP: Her Unique selling point is that she keeps it pure vegetarian. She doesn’t sell anything but vegetarian stuff. So she has vegetarians coming from all over the place with a sense of satisfaction that she doesn’t even have non-veg stuff. Non-Vegetarians like her cooking so much that instead of having their regular chicken momos, they end up eating Veg momos most of the time. She is blunt and a little rude when someone passing by asks her for “Chicken Momos” or ” Non-Veg Biryani.” With a frown on her face, she directs them to another Momos vendor who has it all. People around laugh a bit at her reaction and continue with their momos.

Sampling: People who are ready to eat 5 momos in Rs. 20 on a regular basis, are often given goodies for free. These goodies are samples from what she has recently learned to cook or something that someone hasn’t tried at all. I would eat momos almost every alternate day and she would add a few french fries to it and would deny taking money for it. It happened so that I started taking french fries when I didn’t have much time and had to drive back home (from my office nearby) in a hurry. I was once given a full plate of her Paneer (Cheese) Biryani when she realized that the momos would take some time to get ready. I again tried my best paying her but she refused to pick that money from the counter. She said she had given it because she felt like doing so. She didn’t sell it to me. (Don’t expect getting samples until you have spent some time with her or have been her regular customer.)

Charity: There are some kids who are given food for free. They are the servants of the shops and offices nearby and if they took out money from their pocket to pay her, they are scolded with “Itna bada ho gaya hai tu (You aren’t grown up enough to pay me).”

There is something I cannot put under a sub-heading and it is that she would allow me to park my car right in front of her stall. Most of the vendors don’t like a car covering their stall but she would laugh and say ” It’s good as it keeps the traffic away from my stall.” Her confidence in her cooking had won her friends and she was quite sure that even if she was imprisoned behind all the cars moving on the road, people would still be looking for “Aunty ke Momos.”