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Rags to riches: Meteoric rise of a ‘dosa demigod’
P Rajagopal’s story is the stuff legends are made of – a son of the soil with a ‘rags to riches’ tale to boot. Born to an economically challenged family in 1947, in Punnaiadi in Tamil Nadu, Rajagopal quit school after Class 7 to begin earning a livelihood.
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Chennai
Having wiped tables and slept on floors, Rajagopal graduated to work as a grocery shop attendant. In 1968, having started his own provision store, with help from his father and brother-in-law, the young entrepreneur was raring to go and start something bigger.
It was the aftermath of a casual conversation that P Rajagopal had in 1979 at a grocery shop of his, which sowed the seeds for the opening of the vegetarian restaurant chain – Saravana Bhavan. A measly lunch meant travelling to T Nagar because KK Nagar did not have a single restaurant. In the pre-liberalisation era, when restaurants were a rarity in Chennai, and India, Rajagopal forged ahead and laid the foundation for what would become a global hospitality empire, starting with his very first restaurant in 1981.
From the start, Rajagopal is known to have been a stickler for quality, going so far as to dismiss an advisor, who told him to make do with inferior produce and lesser wages for his staff. To keep the customers coming, he ran his restaurant at a loss of over Rs 10,000 every month. But word of mouth and goodwill garnered him sizeable patronage that kept growing over the years. By the beginning of the 90s, the chain had spread throughout neighbourhoods in Chennai, where people thronged eateries by the thousands, thanks to a sweet spot on price points.
As the new millennium dawned, Rajagopal, who seemed to have drawn lessons from his visits to Singapore, where he encountered MNCs like McDonald’s grew curious about expansion. That was when M Mahadevan, a well-known consultant and the man behind Hot Breads and Oriental Cuisines, prodded Rajagopal to take the global plunge. Mahadevan was instrumental in helping the chain embark on a full-scale international expansion. In 2000, under his guidance, SaravanaBhavan opened its first branch outside India, launching a franchise in Dubai, targeting the Indian expatriates. The chain went on to expand to Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York City, Dallas, Toronto and Doha and now has a presence in over 21 countries today.
He commands the fierce loyalty of his 8,000 plus employees, who swear by his generosity. During the early days, Rajagopal had begun the practice of serving food on plantain leaves on the plate, which gave customers a notion of freshness, and it helped the staff wash the plates in an easier way. The strict disciplinarian went on to ensure his employees were well groomed, with mandatory monthly haircuts and curfews at midnight, to keep productivity in top shape.
Additionally, he took care of their accommodation and the education of their children, implemented wage hikes and leave schemes as well. According to media reports, unwell employees were tended to by co-workers. The man seems to have a way with words as well, as his autobiography, “I set my heart on victory,” is kept for sale at every SaravanaBhavan outlet. Rajagopal’s two sons, PR Shivakumar and R Saravanan are managing the business today, having taken over the mantle from their father. The duo has been actively involved in business’ domestic and international operations.
Today, the brand is one of the world’s largest chains of vegetarian restaurants with 34 restaurants across the country, including 20 in Chennai and around 47 abroad. An outlet is set to open in Auckland on April 2, 2019. The company’s last reported turnover is Rs 300 crore.
HISTORY OF A CHEQUERED EMPIRE
- 1947: Founder of Saravana Bhavan,
- P Rajagopal, born in Punnaiadi village in Thoothukudi district
- Quits school: Leaves home after Class 7 and takes a cleaner's job at a restaurant in a distant resort town
- 1968: Starts a grocery shop in the
- outskirts of the city then known as Madras
- 1981: Founds his first restaurant
- in Chennai
- 1992: Visits Singapore and notes the functioning of MNC fast food joints like McDonald's. Uses them as a model
- 1990s: Saravana Bhavan chain spreads throughout neighbourhoods in Chennai
- 2000: Opens first branch outside India, launching a franchise in Dubai, targeting the Indian expatriates
- Expansion: Starts business in Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York City,
- Dallas, Toronto and Doha. It has a
- presence in more than 21 countries today
- 2002: Starts franchises in Singapore and Sunnyvale, California. Charged with
- murder in the same year
- 2019: One of the world’s largest chains of vegetarian restaurants with over 30
- in country, including 20 in Chennai and around 47 abroad. An outlet is set to open in Auckland on April 2
- 300 cr Last reported turnover of the company
- 8,000 Approximate number of employees in city
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