Saravana Bhavan


Hotel Saravana Bhavan is the largest South Indian vegetarian restaurant chain in the world, founded in 1981 with 5,000 capital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. They have more than 39 locations in India and 87 across several countries in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.

History

P. Rajagopal opened a tiny grocery shop on the outskirts of the city. 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 neighbourhoods in Chennai. In 2000, Saravana Bhavan opened its first branch outside India, opening a franchise in Dubai, with a large number of Indian expatriates. It eventually expanded to Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York City, Dallas, Toronto, Stockholm, Doha and Auckland. While the restaurants gained popularity among non-Indians, they mostly target the South Asian expatriate population. 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 labour-intensive. Saravana Bhavan sends workers from India to work in their foreign branches. The overseas outlets are run by franchisees.