Pakistani chai waala, Arshad Khan bags 1 crore deal in Shark Tank Pakistan, know the deets

Arshad Khan, the Pakistani "chai waala" who rose to fame in 2016 for his striking looks and blue eyes, made an appearance on the second episode of Shark Tank Pakistan to pitch his brand, Cafe Chai Wala.

He was accompanied by his business partner, Kazim Hasan, who provided details about their brand and requested Rs 1 crore Pakistani rupees (around Rs 30 lakh) in exchange for a 5 percent stake in the business.

The sharks, including Faisal Aftab, Usman Bashir, Junaid Iqbal, Rabeel Warraich, and Romanna Dada, listened intently as Kazim and Arshad presented their pitch. After a round of tough negotiations, the duo successfully closed a deal with Rabeel and Romanna.

Arshad started the pitch by saying, "My picture went viral in 2016 and for one and a half to two months, I couldn’t understand what was happening to me. When I finally understood, I started modelling and acting, and began visiting Lahore, Karachi, and Faisalabad. Before this, I had never travelled outside of Lahore or Islamabad. After that, many people suggested that I open a cafe. While I was working, I had always dreamed of opening my own cafe. After meeting Kazim Hasan Sahab, we had a proper office lunch in Islamabad."

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Kazim Hasan shared that they opened their first rooftop café in Islamabad in March 2020. However, due to the pandemic, they had to relaunch it in October 2020, and it gained attention even before its official reopening. After requesting 1 crore Pakistani rupees in exchange for a 5 percent equity stake, he explained their business model. He revealed that they sell franchise rights for 35,000 Pakistani rupees (around Rs 10,000) and charge a 5 percent royalty fee.

On the other hand, Kazim mentioned that they also have a café in the UK, where franchise fees range between 150,000 and 200,000 pounds (approximately Rs 1 to 2 crore). He shared that each outlet generates over 1,000 pounds (around Rs 1 lakh) in revenue, and his vision for the future is to expand the number of outlets.