Saravana Bhavan

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Hotel Saravana Bhavan is one of the largest vegetarian restaurant chains in the world, founded in 1981 offering south Indian Vegetarian cuisine. They have more than 33 outlets in India (20 outlets in Chennai) and 47 around the world (including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Singapore, The Netherlands, Belgium, Malaysia, Thailand, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Mauritius and Sweden. .

Video Saravana Bhavan

History

In the early 20th century, there were practically no restaurants in Madras (now Chennai). P. Rajagopal in 1968 opened a tiny grocery shop on the outskirts of the city. Rajagopal belongs to the Nadar business/landowning community. In 1992, Rajagopal on his visits to Singapore observed the functioning of the multinational fast food joints like McDonald's and used them as a model.

By the 1990s, the Saravana Bhavan chain spread throughout neighborhoods in Chennai. In 2000, Saravana Bhavan opened its first branch outside India, opening a franchise in Dubai, with a large number Indian expatriates. It eventually expanded to Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York, Dallas, Toronto and Doha, Qatar, relying on the expatriate Indian population. It does not attempt to attract non-Indian customers. They are sometimes referred to as "canteen-like joints are strictly aimed at Indian expatriates missing a taste of home" It is considered to be a high volume, low margin venture which is labor-intensive. Saravana Bhavan sends workers from India to work in their foreign branches. The overseas outlets are run by franchisees.

Maps Saravana Bhavan

Controversy

The chain founder P. Rajagopal was on the public eye due to his conviction and sentence to life prison for his involvement in the murder of employee Prince Santhakumar in 2001 and harassment of his wife Jeevajothi, who he had wanted to marry. He was the subject of a long piece in The New York Times mentioning the case. He was released on bail after serving a few months in prison.