Once an Errand Boy, Indore Man’s Street Dish Earns Him Rs 3 Cr, Sets Asia-Pacific Record

A 60-year-old Vijay Singh Rathore sits in his 120 sq ft shop selling delicious vegetarian ‘hot dogs’. These hot dogs have earned him a profit of Rs 3 crore and an Uber Eats award beating the likes of KFC and McDonald’s. 

However, the grass was not always so green. Vijay says he has seen days when his family had to sleep on an empty stomach.

To make ends meet and with no formal education, Vijay was forced to work as an errand boy at a government engineering college in Indore. After working for several years at a wage rate of Rs 5 to 8, he decided to start his own food shop. 

With savings of Rs 4,500 and a loan from his mother began this epic journey. Taking inspiration from English movies, he named his eatery Johnny Hot Dogs at the age of 11. 

Not afraid to take risks, Vijay decided to sell hot dogs instead of samosas and kachoris, which most stalls sold at the time. “There were two reasons for this. One, I wanted to serve something that would stand out from the crowd. Two, the investment cost for making samosa or kachori was high” says Vijay.

He named the dish hot dogs to generate curiosity among the crowd. He says, “I was aware of a dish named hot dog because there was a theatre in our city that would screen only English movies. In their canteen, hot dogs were served as snacks. But the theatre closed in the 70s, and with it, took the hot dogs.” 

Johnny Hot dogs sold seven lakh hot dogs in just six months after registering on Uber Eats. 

Want to know more about the delicious dish and Vijay’s incredible journey? Watch the video:

Edited by Divya Sethu