Hit Rolls To Huge Loss & A Comeback: This 'Success Story' Makes Internet Ask 'Why Do They Exist?'
A section of users claimed that Faasos and its sibling brands were once good but now their quality is deteriorating. They reportedly use visual AI for quality checks.
It was Pune in the 2010s. Two founders, Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee, opened a small quick-serve eatery selling hot kathi rolls. They called it Faasos, short for 'Fanatic Activism Against Substandard Occidental Sh*t." The name was quirky, the food was good, the ambition was huge. The business? Bleeding money.
Despite loyal customers, glowing reviews, and packed lunch hours, Faasos was failing. The bills outpaced the biryani, and by all logic, the startup should have quietly shuttered like so many others. And then came a single insight.
According to a now-viral Instagram video, the Faasos founders stumbled upon a critical statistic: 80 per cent of their sales were from deliveries, not walk-ins. So why were they wasting money on expensive storefronts?
The solution? Ditch the restaurant. Keep the kitchen. In that pivot, Faasos birthed what we now call the cloud kitchen model, a revolutionary approach that powers most food deliveries in urban India today. It was smart, scrappy, and quietly brilliant. Instead of building more restaurants, Faasos built kitchens that could serve multiple virtual brands under one roof.
The comeback wasn't instant.
Flush with a new strategy, Faasos tried expanding into pizzas but failed again because customers didn't want pizzas from a roll shop.
So, they rebranded the same pizza under a new name: Oven Story. With no links to Faasos, Oven Story soared. This became a pattern.
They launched Behrouz Biryani, Lunch Box, Firangi Bake, Mandarin Oak, and over a dozen more. All different cuisines, all separate brands. But behind the scenes? Same kitchen. Same parent company. Rebel Foods was born.
Today, Faasos is the only one who speaks in Rebel's sprawling wheel of delivery brands. The company claims to operate over 1,100 'internet restaurants" across India and abroad. How? Because a single cloud kitchen can run 6-8 brands simultaneously, from biryani to momos to pasta. Think Unilever but for food.
People in the comments section of the video were floored.
'Never knew all of this came under the same chain. Amazing," read a comment. A user wrote, 'I never knew that oven story is their brand."
Someone said, 'Even Sweet Truth is one of their brands which serves one of the best desserts." A user wrote, 'Didn't know the Oven Story was Faaso's and I love Behrouz biryani too." Someone asked, 'Do they operate all brands from a single kitchen or separate kitchens."
There were, however, several others who felt that the quality of both rolls and pizzas have deteriorated over the years. 'Fassos rolls were amazing back in 2019-20," a comment read.
Another Instagram user wrote, 'Don't know how they are still in business. They were good once but now it feels like frozen food flash heated."
Faasos and its sibling brands face questions about transparency, food quality consistency and the problems of digital-only dining.
One user said, 'Stopped eating/ordering from Faasos when they sent poor quality food which led to health issue. Minor one, but the company's lack of response and ownership in admitting the error led me to shut it out."
A user claimed that he has seen Faasos' cloud kitchen. 'I've seen a cloud kitchen in my area that makes food for Faasos, oven story and other associated brands. There's no hygiene, it's dirty and disgusting outside and smells like garbage overall. I shudder to think what's inside. Since then I've stopped ordering from cloud kitchens."
Despite mixed public opinion, Rebel Foods runs like a high-tech engine, not a typical restaurant chain. It uses AI to forecast demand, visual AI for quality checks, automated cooking systems, and centralised sourcing to keep operations efficient and food consistent.
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