What is a ‘tiffin kadai’ takeover? Check out this unique Chennai initiative

You have probably heard of bar takeovers, restaurant takeovers, café takeovers and even bakery takeovers. But have you ever heard of a tiffin kadai takeover? 

It happened recently in Chennai, at a small street side stall on the OMR. For one day only, stall owner Dharman continued his usual routine — pouring batter, flipping dosas, serving chutneys. The only difference, was that every ladle of sambar that day came from a special recipe made with sambar masala from Cookd, a homegrown brand best known for its meal kits, and spice blends designed to make cooking easier. For the team, the idea was simple — to take the new sambar masala to the place where it truly belongs: a street-side kadai where sambar is part of everyday life.

“There is a tiffin kadai right below our office where a few of the staff members have breakfast every morning. They have told me that the food is decent given the price point. We spoke to the person who runs the kadai, and decided to make the sambar for him,” says Aathitiyan Somu, founder and CEO of Cookd, adding that they made around 20 litres of sambar, and by the end of the day, they had run out of the whole pot. 

Cookd team taking over dosa kadai
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Aathitiyan explains that what began as a fun idea for a product launch quickly turned into something bigger. “After the takeover, we spoke to the anna and realised we could do more than just one day. We decided to supply him our sambar masala for a month, so his costs would come down. That way, he could afford to add more lentils to the sambar than he usually does, and follow our recipe.”

The Cookd team also spent time teaching him how to make the sambar their way, ensuring consistency and flavour. And they are not stopping there. The brand has promised to give the tiny kadai a much-needed facelift, making it look more inviting and hopefully helping him boost his daily sales. “We have put in an order to redo his stall’s board, and he has agreed to let us use it as an advertising platform, so we will have our logo on it,” adds Aathitiyan. 

Aathitiyan Somu, founder and CEO of Cookd
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Apart from this small collaboration with the kadai, Cookd is also finding creative ways to spread the word about its sambar masala and kits. The brand has teamed up with supermarkets and grocery chains like Reliance Smart Bazaar and Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam for a cheeky promotion: pamphlets wrapped around bundles of drumsticks.

“When people open the bundle, they will get a pamphlet that will say something like ‘this drumstick deserves a great sambar masala,’ because people buy drumsticks mostly to make sambar with it,” explains Aathitiyan with a laugh.

In the end, what began as a playful tiffin kadai takeover turned into more than just a launch. From supporting a small stall to slipping into grocery bundles of drumsticks, Cookd’s sambar masala is making its way into everyday Chennai life in simple, thoughtful ways.

Sambar masala and kits by Cookd will be available from August 24 on shop.cookdtv.com, Reliance Smart Bazaar, Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam and starting ₹35.