Serving vegetarian fare with pizzazz

What started as an unimaginable experiment 8212; vegetarian pizzas from America8217;s largest pizza chain 8212; has worked out just fine. And from the 350 pizzas they say they are dishing out everyday, it appears that vegetarianism has not only met with the approval of the pizza eater in Gujarat who is digging into his premixed peanut, celery, pineapple salad with gusto, but has also caught the imagination of the American company credited for starting the pizza craze in the United States way back in November 1957.

8220;When we first mentioned a vegetarian outlet, the Pizza Hut people were shocked. What brought them around were the surveys done locally and the fact that more and more people in the West are taking up vegetarianism as a food fad,8221; says Vipin Sachdeva, restaurant general manager. 8220;We had to explain to them that people were squeamish even about eating vegetarian in a place that served non-veg. They did not even want the same crockery and cutlery used for non-vegetarian food. We wanted to respect the beliefs and the religious followings of our customers,8221; explains Sachdeva.

And Amdavadis, who revealed their preferences in surveys conducted by none other than the high-profile Indian Institute of Management a few months back, are digging into their flavoured breads and Jain pizzas with considerable delight. Not only does the outlet dish out vegetarian pizzas, it also has on its menu an entire range titled Jain pizzas8217; that use no onion, garlic, mushroom or potato.

8220;I waited for an hour to get a taste of Pizza Hut last weekend. Imagine my horror when I found out they were serving only vegetarian. A pizza without chicken is disgusting. That too from Pizza Hut!8221; says Jyotsna Bhatnagar, who is still smarting from the shock of a meatless meal. But Bhatnagar is in a minority, says manager Sachdeva.

8220;According to the surveys IIM did for us, 80 per cent of the population of the city preferred vegetarian meals as a dining out option. And 37 per cent preferred Jain meals, which means no root vegetables 8212; onion, garlic or even potatoes 8212; in the preparation,8221; he says.

That is the brief on which Dodsal Indmag, the company that sought the Pizza Hut franchise, put in a Rs 3.8 crore investment. And the results have been interesting. 8220;It is a relief to have a joint where even the smell of meat is not there. The thought that someone on the next table is eating an animal is quite unnerving,8221; says businessman Yogesh Shah. 8220;It8217;s a pure healthy environment. My mother who has never touched a pizza in her life can be coaxed into tryin some too without worrying about what other dish the serving spoon might have touched,8221; adds 28-year-old housewife Meeta Jagani.

And this food prefernce has shown up even in the bottomline. 8220;We are tossing up 350 pizzas on a weekday and close to 500 on weekends,8221; says Sachdeva. Dodsal is already looking at three more pizza outlets in Gujarat, which might even be vegetarian. Some more IIM surveys are due and Sachdeva is certain that by May 2000, Baroda and Surat will have Pizza Hut joints. Rajkot should follow, he adds.