A backpacking trip to Europe in 2011 gave Yeshwanth Nag Mocherla an idea that would eventually take him from a corporate job at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to running a quick-service restaurant (QSR) business focused on thick shakes.
Nag, who had completed his B.Tech from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2009 and an MBA from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar in 2012, was working as a business analyst at TCS when he began exploring the food and retail market more closely.
Today, The ThickShake Factory has expanded beyond its Hyderabad origins and operates in 15 cities across two countries, with more than 85 outlets, according to the company's website.
The idea for the business came during Nag's 2011 backpacking trip to Europe.
In his 2024 TEDx talk, Nag recalled seeing a milkshake outlet in Belgium attracting customers even though temperatures were close to freezing. The observation made him question whether a similar concept could work in India's much warmer climate.