By Suman Tarafdar

Have you tried The Joe Biden? Not the US president, of course, but one of the slider options at Uncle Jack’s – a QSR chain from Chandigarh. Other slider options slant Democratic too – with the others named after the Kennedys and the Clintons! Tachos (a combo of potato tortes and nachos) are named J-Lo and Pit-Bull. Hot Dog options include The Pablo Escobar and Lord of the Rings, while pizza choices are as eclectic, ranging from Sheldon Cooper, The Joey Tribbiani, The Chandler Bing and The Oliver Twist among others. You get the gist.

In a year that saw so many food outlets shut shop, there were a brave few that expanded. Notable among the latter was the Chandigarh-headquartered QSR brand, Uncle Jack’s, which recently launched its first outlet in Delhi – with a timeline for opening more soon.

In a sector marked by high turnover, Uncle Jack’s is a relatively new entrant, making its debut in 2016. Inspired by the American casual dining menu, the chain offers similar dishes at affordable prices in usually upmarket locations, with eight operational outlets in Punjab and more in the pipeline.

Ankush Arora, founder, Uncle Jack’s, says the chain offers classic American, ‘instagrammable’ food. Menu highlights include burgers in various formats, fries – including cheesy ones, which have proven to be most popular, sandwiches, quesadillas, cheese melts, waffles, shakes, coolers, etc. He is quick to point out that he needed to decide who the TG for the chain would be, as he looked to expand beyond the first outlet. For him, ‘performing in’ the QSR (quick-service restaurant) format means “you come in without the liability of seating, or crockery, you come take the food and enjoy it there or take it away. It’s a very American concept of taking away meals in a box.” Yes, the food comes in trays, boxes and glass beakers. He says it’s everyone’s brand – a mother’s brand, or a child’s or grandmom's. “If a father wants a cheeseburger, we are there. If a child wants fries, we are there.”