In a candid post on Grapevine, a Bengaluru-based food startup founder reflected on his six-year journey from a modest kitchen in Gurgaon to operating 78 cloud kitchens across India. Writing from the company’s Bengaluru kitchen at 3 AM, he confessed, “For the first time in 6 years, I’m scared.” His sobering words shed light on the tough reality of scaling too quickly, becoming over-reliant on third-party platforms, and dealing with mounting operational costs.

The founder’s journey began in 2018, driven by frustration with the lack of healthy food options in Gurgaon. Starting with a simple idea of making fresh salads for himself and his colleagues, his venture quickly turned into a successful business. Renting a small 180-square-foot basement kitchen for Rs. 28,000 a month, he initially struggled with poor unit economics. But as the customer base grew, so did the demand, and by 2020, daily orders surged.

However, as the business expanded, so did the challenges. The founder now faces significant issues, such as rising platform commissions and increasing competition. He admits, “Everything I built is starting to crumble.” Despite these hurdles, 92% of the startup’s orders still come from third-party platforms, adding to the strain.

The founder now regrets pushing for rapid scale, revealing that they are considering shutting down 40% of their kitchens. His advice to entrepreneurs: “Sometimes the best way to build something big is to stay small enough to survive.”