The butter chicken on chips success story; the history of our beloved Symrose's

Symrose’s famous butter chicken on chips. (Source: DoorDash)

After a long night of hopping between Sins and Fat Eddies or once upon a time, MONO (R.I.P). Symrose's is the glowing sign of hope for a student starving after a night of raving and faking sobriety in front of bouncers. 

Symrose's, especially for the first year Uni Hall student being a 250m walk, provides a delectable menu that perfectly satisfies a starving (ate dinner at 5:30pm) student with their well-known butter chicken on chips being a favourite from the menu.  

But how Symrose's developed to where it is now was a few years in the making.   

The manager of the family-owned business Rajveer Singh, described the history of the iconic business and how it expanded to Ilam to what would soon become a student hotspot.

"We opened our first store opposite the casino in 2016. By the time we became popular, we planned our second location in Ilam in 2020. We targeted the prime busiest locations which happened to be in Ilam right next to the university." 

The success of Symrose's before reaching Ilam however, was majorly influenced by customers love for chips, sparking their idea of butter chicken on chips which they invented in 2017.  

Singh took credit for the idea, "we are the biggest seller of chips in the small business Christchurch area. Customers love chips with any sauce, so we got the idea to combine butter chicken and chips which was a huge success. No one made it around here until people started copying our idea." 

Symrose's being meters down the road from the university, and with the spontaneous weekday deals (especially the $12 butter chicken on chips), attracts the students as a way of procrastination and saving them from starvation.  

Their business Facebook and Instagram stories has also become a highlight for many students trying to get featured. 

With their convenience of location and tasty menu, Symrose's has grown and remains a student hotspot.  

The butter chicken on chips, as well as many other items on the menu have made their Ilam location a classic and convenient store for students to invest in a quality feed after a long day of study or a long, slightly awkward, Uber ride back from town.