A small chole bhature restaurant in Mumbai’s Chembur was once preparing to shut down after accumulating around Rs 18 lakh in debt. It is now serving thousands of plates every day. The turnaround came after stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu recommended the eatery on Instagram, followed by actress Anushka Sharma ordering chole bhature for her husband, cricketer Virat Kohli, who loves authentic Delhi-style flavours.
The restaurant, Delhi Se, was launched by brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa in October 2021. What began as a modest 250-square-foot outlet with three tables and nine seats has since grown into a four-outlet business across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
How Abhishek Upmanyu’s Visit Changed Things
The turning point came in September 2022, when Upmanyu visited Delhi Se in Chembur’s Camp area and tried its chole bhature. He later recommended the restaurant on his Instagram Story. At the time, the owners did not know who Upmanyu was. However, they soon noticed a rise in walk-ins. “On September 13, Abhishek Upmanyu came to eat chhole bhature. We didn’t know him then. On September 14 and 15, our walk-ins started increasing,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla. The brothers eventually learnt that Upmanyu had posted about their food on Instagram, bringing new customers to the restaurant. His recommendation soon reached Anushka Sharma, who was looking for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for Virat Kohli.
Anushka Sharma’s Call For Two Plates Of Chole Bhature
Before Anushka publicly posted about the restaurant, the brothers received an unexpected call from her home asking for two plates of chole bhature to be delivered to Juhu. Jaspal initially suspected that the call was a prank.
At the time, a plate cost Rs 120, while the cost of travelling from Chembur to Juhu and back was expected to be higher than the order itself. The caller assured him that the additional delivery cost would be covered and asked for his bank details to make the payment. He became even more suspicious. Jaspal then even discussed the call with his brother.
“I told Mahinder, ‘This woman is troubling me. She has called eight times and is asking for my bank details.’ Mahinder said, ‘What’s the problem? Give her the bank details.’ I said, ‘What if she hacks the account?’ Mahinder said, ‘The account balance is already negative. There is hardly any money in it,’” he recalled.
After several calls, the woman finally revealed that she was calling from Virat Kohli’s home.
Jaspal said he still found it difficult to believe that a small Chembur restaurant had received an order from the cricketer’s house.
“I said, ‘Ma’am, please don’t say things like that. Where is Virat Kohli and where am I — a small chhole bhature shop in Chembur? How am I supposed to believe that you’re calling from Virat Kohli’s house?’”
The response was, “You have to trust us, otherwise you will lose the opportunity.” The delivery was eventually fixed for October 5, 2022.
Anushka Sharma’s Instagram Post Brought Massive Crowd
The brothers delivered the food to the address they had been given. After returning to the restaurant, Jaspal received another call from the staff member who had placed the order. She asked him whether he was on Instagram and whether he followed Kohli or Anushka. When he said no, she sent him Anushka’s Instagram post.
Anushka had shared her excitement over finally finding “ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature in Mumbai.” She added, “I am more than happy to announce that this search has ended and I have given my ecstatic joy. Those who know him know his love for chole bhature. The one cheat meal has no guilt over,” while also crediting Upmanyu for introducing her to the restaurant.
The impact was immediate. “After her post, there was a massive crowd at the restaurant. Within half an hour, such a huge crowd had gathered that we were completely blank,” Jaspal said.
The rush was so sudden that the restaurant struggled to keep up with demand. Phones started ringing continuously, and police officials also arrived after a large crowd gathered outside.
From 8 Kg Of Chhole To 100 Kg In Three Days
The restaurant wasn’t equipped to handle the sudden demand. Customers were ordering six or even 10 plates at a time, leaving the restaurant short of ingredients. “Someone would order six plates, someone else would order 10. We didn’t have enough stock. We didn’t know this was going to happen,” they said
The owners began sourcing ingredients from people living near the restaurant to meet the unexpected demand.
“We told people living nearby, ‘Please soak the chhole at home. I’ll come and collect them.’ Some guests waited for more than two hours just to get two or three plates of chhole bhature,” Jaspal said.
Within three days, the quantity of chhole being prepared increased from around eight kilograms to 100 kilograms.
Delhi Se Was Nearly Shut Before The Turnaround
The restaurant had opened on October 15, 2021, but its sales began declining from January 2022. By September, the brothers were considering shutting down the business after accumulating around Rs 18 lakh in debt.
“From January, our sales started declining. By September 2022, we were planning to close the restaurant. We thought we would pay the last month’s groceries and rent and then shut it down,” Jaspal said.
Interestingly, the turnaround came within weeks of that decision.
On September 11, the brothers had even prayed during Ganpati Visarjan for enough to be able to make an offering. A few days later, Upmanyu walked into their restaurant. Less than a month after that, Anushka’s Instagram posts brought an unprecedented crowd to their doorstep.
Also Read: 2 Nashik Siblings Left Their Jobs To Start A Food Truck. Now, They Earn Rs 70,000 Per Month
Delhi Se Now Has Four Outlets
Delhi Se has since expanded to four outlets in Chembur, Mulund, Andheri West and Vashi.
According to the owners, the brand now sells more than 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day across its outlets. They once used to soak around half a kilogram or one kilogram of chhole, but now they soak around 125 kilograms of chhole daily, which expands to nearly a tonne after cooking.
The brothers also claimed that monthly sales, which were around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh when the restaurant was struggling to break even, have now grown to around Rs 2 crore.
