A Gujarati immigrant with only a 10th-grade education defies Peter Thiel’s advice by turning a restaurant in New Jersey into a million-dollar success. His story highlights the power of common sense, loyalty, and strategic location.
Peter Thiel, the American billionaire and PayPal co-founder, once famously labeled restaurants as the worst businesses to invest in, citing their cutthroat competition, slow growth, and low wages. Despite these discouraging words, one Indian immigrant’s journey proves that sometimes, million-dollar success can come from defying conventional wisdom. This is the story of a Gujarati who, with just a 10th-grade education, turned a humble restaurant into a million-dollar enterprise in the US.
The Immigrant Success Story
An X user named Sunil recently shared an inspiring tale of his Gujarati friend who moved to the United States and opened a Gujarati restaurant in New Jersey. Despite Thiel’s bleak view on the restaurant industry, this immigrant found a way to achieve million-dollar success in a sector often considered fraught with risk.
Sunil humorously contrasted his own academic achievements and penchant for podcasts with his friend’s million-dollar success. “Met a Patel friend who runs a restaurant in New Jersey. He was in his late 40s and a 10th pass. I am an engineer with a master’s degree who listens to podcasts,” Sunil wrote on X.
He recounted a conversation where he mentioned Thiel’s criticism of the restaurant business. His friend, unfamiliar with Thiel, simply shrugged off the notion. Instead, he saw the restaurant business as a reliable path to million-dollar wealth. “He said opening a restaurant is a sure-shot way to become a millionaire for him,” Sunil explained.
Strategy and Success
The Gujarati entrepreneur’s million-dollar success can be attributed to several key factors:
- Loyal Customer Base: The restaurant has built a loyal clientele of at least 50 families who regularly dine there. This consistency is crucial in an industry where customer preferences can be highly unpredictable.
- Strategic Location: The restaurant’s location on the route to the Swaminarayan Temple in Robinsville, New Jersey, has proven advantageous. Gujaratis from New York and Pennsylvania often hire buses to visit the temple and make a pit stop at the restaurant, bringing in 50-75 customers per bus.
- Simplicity and Dedication: The entrepreneur focuses on preparing traditional Gujarati dishes like dal, chawal, roti, sabzi, and dhokla daily. His straightforward approach to business, combined with hard work and consistency, has led to his million-dollar success.
Sunil’s story highlights how a simple, common-sense approach can sometimes outshine formal education and theoretical knowledge. “That’s a 10th pass immigrant for you. No MBA, no listening to podcasts. Just common sense, intuition, and the ability to take calculated risks,” Sunil concluded. His post has resonated widely, gathering over 300,000 views on X.
Lessons Learned
Sunil’s friend’s million-dollar success underscores a valuable lesson: success often comes from focusing on the basics, leveraging one’s strengths, and adapting to opportunities rather than waiting for perfect conditions or advanced degrees. As Ram Joshi, another X user, noted, “Most educated people are trapped in analysis paralysis—waiting for the perfect start. If we can just focus on the basics and continue working towards it, success will follow.”
In a similar vein, another user shared their experience of building wealth through small businesses after losing a job, demonstrating that practical experience and perseverance can be more effective than traditional career paths.
This story of a Gujarati immigrant turning a restaurant into a million-dollar business serves as a testament to the power of hard work, strategic thinking, and seizing opportunities, proving that million-dollar success can come from the most unexpected places.
