A small chole bhature shop in Mumbai that was once preparing to shut down after piling up nearly Rs1.8 million in debt is now serving around 3,000 plates a day and claims to generate nearly Rs20 million in monthly sales.For Delhi Se, a tiny 250-square-foot outlet in Chembur, the remarkable turnaround began with an unexpected Instagram recommendation from stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu and eventually involved an order from Anushka Sharma’s home for Virat Kohli.The business was being run by brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa, who had just three tables and nine seats at their outlet. Things had started going downhill in January 2022, and by September, the brothers were carrying nearly Rs1.8 million in debt.“We were planning to close the restaurant,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla.The brothers were preparing to settle their outstanding grocery bills and rent before shutting the shop for good. Then, on September 13, 2022, an unexpected customer walked through the door.
The Instagram story that changed everything
Stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited the Chembur outlet, tried its chole bhature and recommended the food on Instagram.At the time, the brothers did not know who he was.“We didn’t know him then. On September 14 and 15, our walk-ins started increasing,” Jaspal recalled.That recommendation would soon lead to something far bigger.The Instagram post eventually reached Anushka Sharma, who was looking for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for Virat Kohli.Before Anushka publicly spoke about the restaurant, however, the brothers began receiving repeated calls from a woman claiming to be from her home. She wanted two plates delivered to Juhu and also asked for the restaurant’s bank details.Jaspal thought something was wrong.“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 replied, ‘The account balance is already negative. There is hardly any money in it,’” Jaspal recalled.After several calls, the brothers finally learnt that the order was genuinely from Virat Kohli’s home.Even then, Jaspal struggled to believe it.“I said, ‘Ma’am, please don’t say things like that. Where is Virat Kohli and where am I – a small chole bhature shop in Chembur? How am I supposed to believe that you’re calling from Virat Kohli’s house?’” Jaspal said.
Anushka Sharma post brings an instant crowd
The mystery was soon cleared up when Anushka posted on Instagram that she had finally found “ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature” in Mumbai. She also credited Upmanyu for pointing her towards the eatery.The response was almost instantaneous.“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 three-table outlet suddenly found itself dealing with a rush it was nowhere near equipped to handle. Customers started placing orders for six or even 10 plates at a time, while the restaurant rapidly ran out of stock.The crowd outside became so large that police reportedly arrived at the spot.With demand far exceeding their preparations, the brothers began sourcing soaked chickpeas from neighbours to keep the kitchen running. Some customers reportedly waited for more than two hours to get just two or three plates.The scale of the operation changed dramatically within days. According to Jaspal, the quantity of chole being prepared increased from around 8kg to 100kg within three days.
From a nine-seat shop to four outlets
The sudden attention turned what was once a struggling neighbourhood outlet into the foundation of a much larger business.Delhi Se has since expanded from the original Chembur shop to four outlets spread across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.The owners now claim that the brand sells approximately 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day. Around 125kg of chickpeas are soaked daily, with the quantity increasing significantly after cooking.The financial numbers have changed just as dramatically.When the business was struggling, monthly sales were around Rs100,000–150,000 and the brothers were barely breaking even. Today, they claim monthly sales of approximately Rs20 million.What began as a tiny nine-seat restaurant preparing to close was transformed by a chain of events the brothers could hardly have anticipated: a comedian’s Instagram recommendation, a search for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature and an order from Virat Kohli’s home.
