In 2022, brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa were preparing to shut their small Chembur restaurant after mounting losses left them with nearly ₹18 lakh in debt. Their chole bhature business was struggling until an unexpected visit from comedian Abhishek Upmanyu, followed by an Instagram recommendation and an order from Anushka Sharma for her husband, Virat Kohli, changed the course of the business. (Also read: Chef Ajay Chopra on his biggest culinary inspirations, comfort food, daily diet and India’s underrated food treasures )
Delhi Se was started by brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa in October 2021. Their first outlet was a 250-square-foot space with just three tables and nine seats. But by January 2022, sales had started falling, and by September, the brothers were considering shutting the business.
“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 told Pinkvilla Biz in a September 24 YouTube video.
Abhishek Upmanyu’s Instagram recommendation
The first turning point came in September 2022, when Upmanyu visited Delhi Se’s Chembur Camp outlet. The brothers did not recognise him at the time, but soon noticed an increase in customers.
“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 recalled. They later discovered that the comedian had recommended the restaurant on his Instagram Stories.
{{/usCountry}}“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 recalled. They later discovered that the comedian had recommended the restaurant on his Instagram Stories.
{{/usCountry}}Then came an order from Virat Kohli’s home
Soon after, the restaurant received a call requesting two plates of chole bhature for delivery to Juhu. The caller said the order was from Virat Kohli’s home. Jaspal initially suspected a scam, especially when he was asked for his bank details to cover the delivery cost.
“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. The caller eventually confirmed that she was calling from Virat’s residence. The order was delivered on October 5, 2022.
Anushka Sharma later highlighted the restaurant on Instagram, saying she had finally found ‘ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature in Mumbai’. She also mentioned Virat’s love for the dish and credited Upmanyu for introducing her to the eatery.
The response 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 restaurant quickly ran short of ingredients as customers ordered multiple plates. Within three days, the amount of chhole being prepared reportedly jumped from around 8 kg to 100 kg.
Delhi Se now sells over 3,000 plates a day
Delhi Se has since expanded from its original Chembur outlet to four locations 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. The scale of preparation has also changed dramatically. From soaking just half a kilogram to one kilogram of chhole during its struggling days, the restaurant now reportedly soaks around 125 kg daily, which expands to nearly a tonne after cooking.
The brothers also shared that their monthly sales have risen sharply – from around ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh a month during the restaurant's difficult phase, they now generate ‘approximately ₹2 crore in monthly sales’.