Name of company:

Chit Chaat

Date founded:

July 2021

# of stores:

1

Website:

cafechitchaat.com

When Neil Puri began renovating the Mobil gas station in Vienna, Virginia, in 2021, he wanted to offer his customers something they couldn’t get anywhere else—his mother’s North Indian cuisine. “Our son asked us to recreate the Indian street food we loved from our home country,” said his mother, Bindu Puri, who is the chef and makes all the vegetarian dishes for the Chit Chaat Café. His father, Raja Puri, manages the kitchen and makes all the meat dishes.

“There’s so much ready-made food available, we wanted to do something different for our gas station customers,” said Bindu. “Many people who hear about how good our food is can’t believe we’re in a gas station.”

The restaurant is hard to find, without much visible signage on the outside of the station. Inside, it offers only takeout, with the Puris working in a small space behind a closed door. That doesn’t stop the crowds from coming.

An Extra Ingredient

In creating the menu, the Puris had one underlying philosophy—healthy food made with love. “All of our dishes are made without excess butter or oil, and nothing is ever frozen. I also make my own sauces and spice mixes,” Bindu said.

The simple menu starts with samosas, including a burrito version; butter chicken; chili chicken platters; curries; chicken biryani; and pani puri, a popular Indian street dish made with the Puris “super-duper secret spicy water,” which is the condiment for the dish. Daily specials round out the list, but Bindu will often create something off-menu for customers if they ask about a specific dish.

For both Puris, the extra ingredient that flavors all their meals is love. “When you put love in the food, your customers can tell,” she said. “That’s why they love us.”

The café has garnered a following among younger customers, who tell Bindu her cooking reminds them of the food shared with their families. “I’m like their auntie and Raja is like their uncle—they appreciate us and our meals so much,” Bindu said.

Besides the café, the c-store stocks traditional snacks and ready-made food. The open floor plan maximizes the footprint with low gondolas and warm wood tones, creating a cozy and welcoming atmosphere.

Welcoming the Community

The Chit Chaat Café has an active Instagram, Facebook and NextDoor presence, alerting customers to specials and other store news. “But word of mouth is our best advertisement,” Raja said. “We still get calls from people who are not sure we’re serious when we say we’re in a gas station.”

Bindu added, “We’ve had people come in and say they drove by a few weeks ago, but couldn’t believe the café was really inside.”

However, once people do sample the food, they are converted into regular customers. “We have some people who stop by five days a week,” Raja said.

The Puris have been pleasantly surprised by the community’s embrace of the Chit Chaat Café. “We have been honored by the response of the community to our cooking,” Bindu said. “We feel their love as we hope they feel ours.”

For them, the risk of opening a carryout restaurant in a gas station has paid off. “Don’t be afraid of taking a risk, trying something different from everyone else,” Raja said. “You need to put your ideas out there to see what your customers want.”

For their customers, Bindu loves to encourage them to try new menu items. “We sometimes force them to buy something special and we’ve never had them come back and say it wasn’t good,” she said. “That’s how we treat our customers like family—we look out for them and feed them good food.”

Bright Ideas

A quarter century ago, Raja and Bindu Puri left India for the United States and discovered a friendly community in Vienna, Virginia. “I have never ever seen such a beautiful people,” said Bindu Puri. “This is like a small, family town”

Their secret to happy customers at their restaurant has been to treat the customers like family, chatting with them and making special meals. “I always tell my favorite customers, ‘Let me make something special for you,’ and they trust me to make them good food they enjoy,” Bindu said. “That’s served us well these past two years and kept the customers coming back for more.”