She works at a bank. But her side business makes more than Rs 7 lakh a month. Yet she refuses to quit her 9-5 job. Why?

A bank employee in Varanasi has built a tiffin business that now generates more than Rs 7 lakh in monthly revenue, according to a social media post. What makes the story unusual is that she has no plans to leave her full-time job, despite her salary reportedly being just a fraction of what the business earns. Starting with only 20 customers in January, her venture has grown to 291 customers, serving students and workers across the city.

From 20 customers to 291

Social media user Ankit Pandey took to X and shared the story of his friend, who works at a bank in Varanasi. According to Pandey, she started a simple tiffin business in January with just 20 customers. By February, that number had jumped to 125. It has now reached 291 customers.

The business caters to students and workers across Varanasi, with each customer paying Rs 2,500 per month. At 291 customers, that works out to approximately Rs 7.27 lakh in monthly revenue.

Her business earns more than her salary

Pandey claimed that her salary is now around 10 times lower than what her side business makes, yet she continues to report to her bank job. The tiffin business, meanwhile, has generated a substantial operating surplus. According to the figures shared by Pandey, her monthly expenses include:

- Food: Rs 1.80 lakh
- Transportation: Rs 60,000
- Chef: Rs 18,000
- Drivers: Rs 20,000
- Rent: Rs 15,000
- Miscellaneous: Rs 10,000

The total monthly expenditure comes to approximately Rs 3.03 lakh. Against revenue of Rs 7.27 lakh, the business has an estimated operating surplus of Rs 4.24 lakh per month, based on the figures in the post.

She runs it without a fancy setup

Perhaps the most striking part of the story is how lean the operation is. Pandey said the business operates with just three e-rickshaws, three delivery boys, one chef and two salesmen. There is no elaborate startup infrastructure behind it. As Pandey described it, there is no fancy office, huge funding round or complicated app.

Instead, the business appears to be built around a straightforward service: good food, dependable delivery and a need that customers are willing to pay to solve. Despite the rapid growth of her side business and the income it reportedly generates, Pandey said his friend still has no plans to quit her bank job.

Internet reacts

One wrote, "I would have quit the job and focused full time on business and content creation side by side." Another said, "Smart move build the business before quitting the job." One said, "Amazing. But cooking for 300 people daily alone in just 18k??"