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an advertisement. (February 2024) |
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Restaurant |
Genre | Southern Indian Cuisine |
Founded | 1981 |
Founder | P. Rajagopal |
Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 33 (in India), 78 (outside India) |
Area served | India, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, UK, and the U.S. |
Key people | P. R. Siva Kumar R. Saravanan |
Products | Food, Sweets, Bakery, Ice Cream |
Services | Fast Food, Take Away, Home Delivery and Outdoor Catering |
Revenue | ₹29,782.4 million (US$370 million) (2017) |
Number of employees | 8,700 (in India - 2023) |
Website |
www.saravanabhavan.com (Global)
saravanabhavan.co (India) www.saravanabhavanlondon.co.uk (UK) www.saravanaabhavan.us (US) www.saravanabhavan.ca (Canada) www.saravanaabhavan.com.au (Australia) www.saravanaabhavan.se(Sweden) |
Hotel Saravana Bhavan is a South Indian restaurant chain, founded in 1981 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. [1] The chain operates 33 locations in India (24 in Chennai) and 78 across 22 countries in North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Oceania. [2] [3]
P. Rajagopal opened a tiny grocery shop on the outskirts of the city. [4] In 1992, Rajagopal on his visits to Singapore observed the functioning of the multinational fast food joints like McDonald's. He used them as a model for his restaurant chains. [5]
By the 1990s, the Saravana Bhavan chain spread throughout neighborhoods in Chennai. In 2000, Saravana Bhavan opened its first branch outside India, in Dubai, with a large number of Indian expatriates. It eventually expanded to several major cities including the New York City metropolitan area, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Dallas, Toronto, Stockholm, Doha, and Auckland.
While the restaurants have gained popularity among non-Indians, they mostly target the South Asian expatriate population. They are sometimes referred to as " canteen-like joints strictly aimed at Indian expatriates missing a taste of home". [6] It is considered to be a high volume, low margin venture which is labor-intensive. Saravana Bhavan sends workers from India and America to work in their foreign branches. [7]
This South Indian restaurant chain currently serves many countries worldwide. Outside India and the U.S., these countries include Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Oman, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Singapore, Bahrain, UAE, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Qatar, Hong Kong, Thailand, Netherlands, and Sweden. The overseas outlets are run by franchisees. [8]