On the evening they first parked their food truck in JP Nagar, Bengaluru, 100 people showed up before they even opened. Kushal and Cheahek, both 23, had spent months building Cried Burgers from a failed cloud kitchen into a mobile operation. The crowd was a direct result of the Instagram content they had been posting — a cost breakdown reel that would eventually rack up 5 million views. [00:19]
The Cloud Kitchen Trap
Cried started as a cloud kitchen in February 2024. Kushal, a BBA HR graduate, had been experimenting with fried chicken recipes at home, his house reeking of oil. He launched on Swiggy and Zomato, but the aggregators charged 28% commission plus GST, pushing total costs to 40%. In six months, they averaged just five orders a day. [00:46] “We would go have ice cream after we would do five orders a day,” Cheahek recalls. [00:48] The platform model, they realised, is built for customers, not brands — no organic discovery, no margins. They shut the cloud kitchen in May 2024.
The Food Truck Gamble
With no other option, they decided on a food truck — even though “to run food trucks in India is illegal,” Kushal says. [00:21] They borrowed 10 lakhs from parents for a used Tata Winger and spent another 8 lakhs on modification. They found the vehicle on Instagram, bought it from Kerala, and began parking outside a shop that closed at 7:30 PM. The first day, a line formed. “We had so many cops turn up that day,” he says. [00:22] Nearby restaurants complained, and they were kicked out of multiple spots. A follower eventually connected them to a landlord who rented them half a plot in JP Nagar, where they now operate from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, selling 370 burgers in 3.5 hours. [00:28]
The Economics of a 250-Rupee Burger
Their unit economics are lean: cost of goods sold at 45%, rent 6%, labour 8%, marketing 2-3%. After all expenses, they clear 25% margin — better than the industry 15-20% for new brands. [01:55] They hired staff by giving candidates a tomato and an onion to see how they cut. Starting salaries were 14,000 rupees; now they average 22,000. [02:08] They priced their burgers at 250 rupees, positioning between budget aloo tikki burgers (60 rupees) and high-end bone marrow burgers (800 rupees). [02:21]
The Power of Founder-Led Content
Cried’s marketing budget to date: 3,000 rupees on a mic. Their Instagram growth came from sharing the raw journey — the truck build, the cost breakdown, the hiring process. “I don't think brands can sell themselves as brands anymore,” Cheahek says. “They have to sell themselves as people behind the brand.” [02:35] The retention rate is 60%, they say, and repeat customers include even non-vegetarians ordering paneer burgers on Saturdays. They have not raised any funding and do not plan to, wanting to keep control over product quality. Their next step is a central kitchen, then their first permanent outlet this year. [02:45] “I never thought of a plan B,” Kushal says. “That was the best thing.” [02:47]
