Instagram influencer turns vada pao seller for a day; Engineers, MBAs won't like his message

The annual salary of a vada pav seller will make your jaws drop and cause you to go green with envy! A video featuring a street hawker, who earns a living selling vada pav ( a popular Maharashtrian street food) has gone viral on social media. In the video, the hawker revealed that he made an impressive Rs 2 lakh per month and his yearly earnings amounted to a whopping Rs 24 lakh.

The video, which was shared by an Instagram influencer called Sarthak Sachdeva has become an Internet sensation, garnering more than 40 million views. Sachdeva spent a day working at a local vada pav stall and the findings he came across were nothing short of eye-opening. The video has since then gone on to dispel many myths about the earning potential of street hawkers.

In the video, Sachdeva begins by familiarizing himself with the business operations, preparing hot vada pavs, and interacting with customers. “By mid-morning, we had already sold around 200 vada pavs,” he says, reflecting on the high demand. The momentum continued throughout the day, with a total of 622 vada pavs sold by evening. At Rs 15 per vada pav, the day’s earnings came to Rs 9,300..” he explained in the video.


Over the course of a full month, the vendor’s income amounts to an impressive Rs 2.8 lakh (around $3,300). After deducting expenses, the vendor takes home approximately Rs 2 lakh ($2,400) each month, or Rs 24 lakh ($29,000) annually—comparable to the salaries of many white-collar professionals in India. The internet responded with a mix of disbelief and humor. One viewer wrote, "What am I doing with my life?" while another quipped, "Time to start a food cart!" Several users were astonished by how profitable a seemingly humble street food business could be, with one noting, "The power of a prime location."

Another quipped that this vendor will now threat food vlogger Chandrika Dixit aka Vada Pav Girl's career.

Sachdeva’s video has sparked discussions about the earning potential of street vendors and highlighted how lucrative such small ventures can become when managed efficiently.