E-Paper
Dosa shop owner breaks down finances, reveals business once touched ₹12 lakh a month: 'Apna dream humesha follow karo'
The dosa shop owner opened up about the realities of running a food business, explaining his revenue, monthly expenses and current earnings.
A conversation between a content creator and a Thane-based dosa shop owner has gone viral after the businessman revealed that his outlet once generated ₹12-13 lakh in monthly revenue but now leaves him with savings of only around ₹1 lakh a month after expenses.
The owner of Thane-based restaurant Benne Rush shared the details while speaking to content creator Utkarsh Verma in an Instagram video. During the interaction, he opened up about the realities of running a food business, explaining his revenue, monthly expenses and current earnings.
The owner said the restaurant saw its best phase soon after opening, with monthly revenue touching ₹12-13 lakh as customer demand surged. However, he said that the business has slowed over time as footfall declined.
Breaking down the finances, he said he pays around ₹1 lakh per month in rent and another ₹1.5 lakh towards staff salaries. Electricity bills, raw materials and other operational costs take the total monthly expenditure to roughly ₹4 lakh.
Asked how much he now earns from the business, the owner said he is able to save only around ₹1 lakh per month after meeting all expenses.
He attributed the decline to seasonal demand, saying customer footfall drops significantly during the summer months, affecting overall sales. Business picks up again during winter, when more customers visit the stall, he added.
Despite the reduced profits, the owner said that he still prefers running his own business over working for someone else.
When Verma asked what he would like to tell people who feel stuck in jobs but dream of starting something of their own, the owner said, "Definitely, ek baar aapke mind mein thought aayega ki haan, main ye quit karke ye karun. But definitely, you should go for it. Apna dream hamesha follow karo. Bhale ek baar failure hoga, ek-do baar hoga, but end of the day, success aani wali hai."
The text on the clip read, "In India, an ₹80K/month job is considered respectable. A dosa restaurant owner earning ₹12 lakh a month often isn't. Strange definition of success."
(Also Read: Man says he was laid off while on vacation months after promotion: ‘I am honestly shocked and confused’)
Social media reactions
The post sparked a discussion online, with several users debating the difference between revenue and profit.
One user wrote, "Indeed amazing, he is generating employment as well."
"If that's the profit it's amazing, if it's the revenue still amazing as he is giving job to people," commented another.
"Even if 12lacs is the revenue per month, yet the overhead costs remains at 4-5lacs(staff, rent, electricity etc.) only the raw material costs would exceed. Still he would make a profit of 4-5lacs a month from 12lacs revenue. It's not bad at all," wrote a third user.
Others, however, questioned the business margins.
One user wrote, "35L ke investment mai 40L ka ghata .. revenue is not profit. Horrible margins. 12L revenue and 1L profit is so wrong."
"Revenue is 12 L, he is not taking any Network Profit!" commented another.
"12 Lakh is revenue not Pay. There is a difference," wrote one user.
