Meet Deviprasida, the woman turning a ₹20,000 burger stall into a lakhs business

Thiruvananthapuram: What began with a humble kulukki sarbat stall at a local festival has grown into a thriving roadside burger business. Deviprasida, a native of Alappuzha who moved to Thiruvananthapuram to prepare for the Civil Services at her parents' insistence, chose to pursue a different dream. Instead of dedicating sleepless nights to exam preparation, she worked towards building a business of her own.

Today, her roadside outlet, Dookan Burgers, has become a successful venture, generating lakhs in revenue.

Although Deviprasida had little interest in pursuing the Civil Services, financial constraints prevented her from starting a business. At the same time, her family strongly opposed her ambition to become a content creator. After failing the Civil Services examination on her first attempt, she persuaded her family to let her begin vlogging, though not without considerable resistance.

Hoping to become financially independent, she later took up a job at a private bank in Pattom. However, her parents, who remained committed to their dream of seeing her become a civil servant, were not supportive of that decision either.

A turning point came in 2024 when she set up Dookan Sarbat at the renowned Mullackal Chirappu festival in Alappuzha. Initially launched to create unique social media content, the stall quickly became a viral success. The attention it received led to television appearances and awards, gradually changing her family's perception of her entrepreneurial ambitions.

Encouraged by the response, Deviprasida launched Dookan Burgers, a portable roadside burger stall, with an investment of around ₹20,000. She used her savings from her bank job and received financial support from her friend, Rahul Raveendran. She also attended professional classes to learn burger-making before starting the venture.

However, the journey was far from smooth. On the eve of the inauguration, essential parts of the stall were stolen from her home in Alappuzha. Undeterred, she reinvested money to rebuild the stall with improved facilities and went ahead with the launch.

Deviprasida says she was drawn to the street food business because she wanted the freedom to work on her own terms rather than follow a routine job. More importantly, she wanted to build an identity of her own.

The gamble paid off. Since opening, Dookan Burgers has built a loyal customer base and now sells around 300 burgers every day.

The young entrepreneur believes the burger business is only the beginning. Her next goal is to raise capital for a much larger venture that will require an investment of nearly ₹40 lakh.

For Deviprasida, maintaining quality remains the foundation of every successful business. She has a simple message for aspiring entrepreneurs:

"If you want to start something, don't just keep thinking about it. Have the courage to begin. Only when you take the first step will you discover what is possible."