Founded in 2023 by Sourabh Khandelwal, Dahibara Express is reviving and elevating Odisha’s legendary street snack—Dahibara Aloodum—through a modern, hygienic quick-service model. The chain, bootstrapped by Khandelwal, merges grassroots flavors with standardized quality, blending traditional recipes with contemporary kitchen practices .

Originally rooted in Bhubaneswar, the startup has rapidly expanded. As of mid‑2024, it boasts over 40 outlets across 10+ Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Thane, Vadodara and Rourkela . Further ambitions include international expansion, with outlets in Dubai reportedly planned following a ₹6 crore pre‑seed round led by Dubai-based angel investors.

Dahibara Express franchises range from kiosks and carts to institutional and air‑catering operations. This low-cost, high-efficiency model aims to make Odisha's flavors more accessible and economically viable.

Customer feedback from Bhubaneswar’s food-lovers community, particularly on Reddit, has been enthusiastic. One user cheerily noted, “Try Dahibara express… There is one at infocity square,” while another quipped, “Good move. Commercializing this will lead to awareness of our native food”.

Fuelled by a vision to standardize and popularize regional cuisine, Dahibara Express is fast becoming a symbol of cultural pride, proving that authentic Indian street food can thrive in modern, scalable formats.