We were lucky to catch up with Yohan Vajifdar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Yohan, thanks for joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
In 2024 we broke our 1st $100K in revenue !
TxTikka started with 1 yellow tent and $300, we sold out on our 1st farmers market making a whooping $358 and that was the biggest achievement for us!
When I rooted the idea of starting TXTikka my plate was full with other financial and emotional responsibilities towards my family, it was not an overnight decision, we talked about it back and forth for almost 2 years before the name was picked for the business.
It took a great amount of risk and sacrifice not just from me but the people who blindly believed in my vision.
the 1st year definitely not the most profitable, we spent so much on permits, legal fees, website, kitchen rent and so forth.
We finished the year with $2000 only in sales the hype of launching a brand new food category was a bust. at-least in my head, I was ready to close shop and continue my 9to 5, more like 9 to 9 in the restaurant business!
Fortunately I am surrounded with people who believed in me even when I was at my lowest. They did not let me give up and kept pushing me to believe in vision even when all the path towards success were blocked.
The 2nd year I reached out to every farmers market and event host I could , we worked any event that came our way even when there was no profit to be made , getting our name out there was our priority.
There was an event when we sold $0 after 4 hours but we were able to get more eyes on our brand.
We finally got a break with 500 people catering, that was our 1st one out side farmers market.
We made it happen and I could not comprehend that we did our very 1st catering event for 500 people its seemed such a impossible taks for me as it was just me and no employee doing everything.
Soon 1 thing led to another and we are catering a wedding, doing office lunches, graduations. we didnt break bank in yer 2 but it was a good proof to see that my vison was slowly taking shape.
2024 was our big year when we hit our $100K milestone.
Yohan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Yohan Vajifdar founder of TxTikka Texas Indian barbecue, where Texas Heat Meets Indian Spice, where your every bite will be a journey from the lone star state to there heart of India.
I was born and raised in Indian and believe me when I say feeding me as a child was constant struggle for my parents, and my being a picky eater didn’t make it easier. I enjoyed eating out a lot, there is this element of surprise when It comes to Indian food and I loved sharing it with my loved ones.
Fast forward to 2010, I shipped myself to Edinburgh, Scotland, to finish my bachelors in International Hospitality Management. That was a big culture shock when it came to food and being an only child, cooking for myself was not a trade I was savvy with.
Months passed by, and not finding the same joy in the new world of food, I started to cook for myself. I started learning how to cook through Skype with my parents.
Fast forward to 2014, I moved to Austin, and being introduced to the world of cuisine, I was sure to find joy in food that was missing from yesteryear. I found the same joy in good old Texas Barbecue.
So now, having the skill sets to cook Indian food and make Tx barbecue, a new flavor was born; something I had never thought would have been possible; two completely different cuisines -Indian food and Tx Barbecue and this brought back the joy which I was missing since I left home. That was when (TX Tikka- Texas Indian Barbecue) was born
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
If I could go back and talk to myself on the day I set up that yellow tent with $300 in my pocket, I’d tell myself, you are crazy! When I started TX Tikka, I thought the biggest challenge would be introducing a new cuisine to Austin. I was wrong. The real challenge was building something from nothing while juggling the rest of my life.
There were nights I’d come home exhausted from work, only to spend hours learning how to build a website, fill out permit applications, or figure out how to market a brand-new food concept. I realized quickly that if I wanted this vision to work, I had to teach myself every skill I didn’t have.
The first year was rough. I remember ending the year with just $2,000 in sales and thinking its time to quite. But every time I wanted to quit, someone reminded me why I started. Their belief in me kept me going when I couldn’t find it in myself.
I also learned that risk is a part of the process. I couldn’t afford to put everything on the line with a young family at home, so I kept my job and grew TX Tikka slowly. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary.I learned to celebrate those little wins. Looking back, I see that every setback taught me something I needed to know. I learned to trust the process, to lean on my support system, and to keep moving forward, even when the path wasn’t clear. If there’s one lesson that stands out above the rest, it’s resilience isn’t just about surviving the hard days it’s about finding the courage to keep chasing your vision, one step at a time.
And that’s how TX Tikka went from a $300 tent to breaking $100K. The journey was never easy, but every lesson made it worth it.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
The most pivotal part of my journey with TX Tikka was the moment I took on our first large catering event for 500 people. Up until then,I was planning to only do online delivery and pick like like uber eats. Catering was actually a hard no for me when we started. But when that opportunity came, even though I was alone, I decided to say yes. and that changed our whole structure.
That event forced me to push beyond what I thought were my limits. I planned every detail, worked through the night, and delivered every plate myself. It was exhausting and intimidating, but when I saw the event succeed, something shifted inside me. I realized that if I could pull off feeding 500 people on my own, then my vision for TX Tikka was truly possible. It was not what what I intended it to be but that is what worked!
That breakthrough gave me the confidence to keep going, to take bigger risks, and to believe that resilience and hard work could turn even the wildest dreams into reality. Looking back, that catering job wasn’t just about the food; it was about proving to myself that I could survive the hardest moments and come out stronger. That was the turning point that changed everything for me and for TX Tikka.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://txtikka.com/
- Instagram: @txtikka
