India, Feb. 2 -- As Salam Fast Food marks a quarter-century in Margao, its founder looks back at the risks, resistance and resolve that shaped the journey. When Nelson Fernandes returned to Goa after years of working in the Gulf, he carried with him a clear idea of what he did not want to do. At the time, many Goans coming back after long stints in the Gulf followed a familiar path, opening bars or restaurants. Nelson wanted something different, rooted in a food culture he had lived with and understood.

That decision took shape on January 6, 2001, when he started Salam Fast Food in Margao. Shawarma, now commonplace across Goa, was then unfamiliar to most locals. For Nelson, however, it was never meant to be elaborate food. It was filling...