The Mumbai restaurant was close to shutting down in 2022, but a recommendation from Abhishek Upmanyu and Anushka Sharma’s order for Virat Kohli helped bring a huge surge in customers.
A comedian’s Instagram recommendation and an unexpected food order from Anushka Sharma’s home helped turn around a struggling Mumbai restaurant that was preparing to shut down.
Delhi Se, a small chole bhature outlet in Chembur, was deep in debt in 2022. Today, the business claims to serve around 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day across four outlets and generate nearly ₹2 crore in monthly sales.
The journey from a struggling 250-square-foot shop to a growing food business began with an unlikely recommendation.
The Restaurant Was Close to Shutting Down
Brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa were running Delhi Se with just three tables and nine seats when business began deteriorating in January 2022.
By September, the brothers had accumulated nearly ₹18 lakh in debt. With sales falling and bills mounting, they were preparing to close the restaurant after clearing their outstanding rent and grocery payments.
Then, on September 13, stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited the outlet, tried its chole bhature, and recommended it to his Instagram followers.
The effect was visible almost immediately.
The brothers told Pinkvilla that walk-ins began increasing the following day. But the biggest change was still to come.
Anushka Sharma Was Looking for Delhi-Style Chole Bhature
The Instagram recommendation eventually reached Anushka Sharma, who was looking for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for Virat Kohli.
The restaurant began receiving calls from someone claiming to be from the couple’s home. The caller wanted two plates delivered to Juhu and requested the restaurant’s bank details.
Initially, Jaspal suspected it was a prank. Only after several calls did the brothers realise that the order was actually coming from Virat Kohli’s home.
The request was surprising enough for the small Chembur outlet that Jaspal reportedly struggled to believe it.
One Instagram Post Changed Everything
Anushka later posted on Instagram that she had found “ekdum Delhi jaise Chole bhature” in Mumbai and credited Upmanyu for pointing her towards the restaurant.
The response was immediate.
According to Jaspal, a large crowd gathered outside the outlet within minutes. Customers began ordering several plates at a time, quickly overwhelming the tiny kitchen.
The restaurant soon ran out of stock, while police reportedly arrived as crowds gathered outside.
The brothers had to source soaked chickpeas from neighbouring shops to keep up with orders. Some customers reportedly waited more than two hours for their food.
Within three days, the amount of chole being prepared increased from around 8kg to 100kg, according to Jaspal.
From Nine Seats to Four Outlets
The surge did more than rescue the original restaurant. It allowed the brothers to build a larger business around the Delhi Se brand.
The company has since expanded to four outlets across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
The owners now claim to serve around 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day and soak approximately 125kg of chickpeas daily before cooking.
The financial numbers have changed just as dramatically. The brothers say monthly sales that once stood at around ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh have grown to nearly ₹2 crore.
A Celebrity Order Became a Business Turning Point
Delhi Se’s story shows how quickly visibility can change a small food business’s trajectory.
The original turning point was not a large advertising campaign or a major investment. It began with a comedian recommending a local restaurant, followed by a celebrity discovering the recommendation and placing an order.
For the Khalsa brothers, that sequence arrived just as they were preparing to shut down.
What started with three tables and nine seats in Chembur has since grown into a four-outlet business serving thousands of plates a day. The restaurant, once struggling to survive, now credits one unexpected chain of events with helping build its next chapter.
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Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s love for Delhi-style chole bhature helped transform a struggling Mumbai eatery into a four-outlet business.
Photo: Instagram/AFP
Source: Gulf News
