In a corporate culture obsessed with hikes and titles, one Gurgaon professional took a radically different turn—swapping boardrooms for steam baskets. Saket Saurabh, co-founder and CEO of The Momos Mafia, walked away from a ₹52 lakh per annum job to build what has now become a ₹5 crore momo business.
Quitting corporate comfort
In September 2023, Saket resigned from his role as a product manager at FlixStock, where he earned ₹52 LPA. Speaking to Hindustan Times in an interview published on February 6, 2026, he said his goal was clear: to build a “recognisable dumplings brand in India”.
An Instagram reel announcing his decision—captioned “50 lakh ki job resign kar chale momo business karne”—went viral, drawing nearly three lakh views.
Family roots and early experiments
Saket is no stranger to entrepreneurship. After graduating from NIFT Delhi in 2014, he co-founded Wowflux, a startup that was later acquired by FlixStock.
While working full-time, he also helped his sister and brother-in-law run Gurgaon’s Bamboo Cafe. One insight stood out: momos consistently outsold parathas and biryani. This led to experiments with a canopy selling only momos, followed by a cart near Infotech, generating ₹10,000–₹12,000 daily.
Scaling beyond carts
The Momos Mafia was officially launched in January 2024 with partners Ekta Kumari, Gautam, Surya Prakash and Shubham Thakur. Early challenges included municipal action against carts, staffing gaps and weather disruptions.
Realising scale needed structure, Saket pivoted to a “CSR model”—Cart Service Restaurants—with permanent outlets supported by carts outside. “A ₹500 crore brand cannot be built around carts,” he told HT.
₹5 crore in 2.5 years
The numbers followed. From January to March 2024, revenues touched ₹16 lakh. In FY 2024–25, the business earned ₹2.2 crore. This year alone, it has already crossed ₹2.2 crore, with projections close to ₹3 crore—taking total earnings beyond ₹5 crore in just 2.5 years.
Today, The Momos Mafia operates 40 carts, 20 outlets and two quick-service restaurants across seven Indian states.
Advice for aspiring food founders
Saket’s key takeaway is blunt: start with an outlet, not a stall. “Stalls cap your growth. If you want real scale and serious numbers, build a proper outlet,” he advised.
From quitting a ₹52 LPA job to building a nationwide food brand, Saket Saurabh’s journey shows that sometimes, the boldest career move is betting on what people love to eat.