restaurant industry restaurant genre south indian vegetarian cuisine founded 1981 founder p. rajagopal headquarters chennai india number of locations 39 in india 43 outside india 16 to be opened area served india australia malaysia oman canada france germany singapore saudia arabia bahrain u.a.e u.k u.s.a kuwait kenya south africa qatar hong kong thailand netherlands . key people p. r. shiva kumaar r. saravanan products food sweets bakery ice cream services fast food take away home delivery and outdoor catering . revenue 450 million 2010 number of employees 8700 in india 2014 slogan a synergy of taste and quality website www.saravanabhavan.com hotel saravana bhavan is one of the largest vegetarian restaurant chains in the world founded in 1981 offering south indian vegetarian cuisine . 1 they have more than 33 outlets in india 20 outlets in chennai alone and 47 around the world including australia canada united kingdom france germany singapore malaysia thailand the united states and the middle east . 2 3 as of 2012 update there are plans to open 5 star vegetarian hotels . 4 the restaurant is called hotel because in india the word hotel often implies a restaurant . contents 1 history 2 service model 3 food 4 controversy 5 see also 6 references 7 external links history edit one of the most popular overseas branches located in edison new jersey united states in the early 20th century there were practically no restaurants in madras now chennai . p. rajagopal in 1968 opened the a tiny grocery shop on the outskirts of the city . 5 when he opened his first restaurant in k.k. nagar in 1981 his shops were deeply in deb ; however an astrologer suggested that he try a line of work that involved fire . contrary to common practice rajagopal started using top quality vegetables and gave his workers high wages . initially his business was losing 10 000 rupees a month . eventually however his food came to be known as was high quality and inexpensive and soon his business was profitable and he started opening new branches . the dasaprakash hotel an udipi chain started in madras in 1954 may have served as a model . the udipi hotels as restaurants are often termed in india are run by brahmins 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 macdonald s and used them as a model . 6 he provided his workers unprecedented benefits health care housing allowance and a marriage fund for their children . 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 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 7 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 . 8 the overseas outlets are run by franchisees . service model edit it is expected that the customers know what they want with the waiters essentially taking orders and delivering the food . some of the staff even in overseas locations may have a limited knowledge of english . 9 the food is prepared fresh and the high volume reduces the waiting time . food edit in addition to the traditional south indian snacks dosa idli utthapam vada with several variations a few north indian dishes parotta chana bhatura are offered . 10 a few combo thalis are offered . some locations offer tandoori bread naan . a small selection of south indian sweets badam halva rava kesri and north india gulab jamun are offered . it has its own brand of vegetarian icecream . some branches offer more extensive menus controversy edit 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 . 11 he was the subject of a long piece in the new york times mentioning the case . 12 he was released on bail after serving a few months in prison . see also edit udupi restaurants and hotels vegetarian and vegan restaurants in singapore list of vegetarian restaurants indians in the new york city metropolitan region references edit founder & key personalities . saravana bhavan . retrieved 2007 05 31 . berry rynn ; suzuki chris a. ; litsky barry 2006 . the vegan guide to new york city . ethical living . p. 27 . isbn 0 9788132 0 0 . retrieved 2008 07 03 . addison bill 2006 06 30 . diners line up for saravana dosas . san francisco chronicle . retrieved 2008 07 03 . saravana bhavan plans foray into hospitality sector after it strengthens international presence further masala dosa to die for new york times rollo romigmay 7 2014 the hindu friday august 21 1998 can you overlook a violent history for the perfect dosa crystal wilde november 18 2015 indian restaurant chains have overseas expansion on their menus knowledge wharton apr 21 2011 daily news newyork 8 5 2005 discover india may 17 1999 http timesofindia.indiatimes.com india saravana bhavan founder gets life term for murder articleshow 4289829 . cms romig rollo . masala dosa to die for . new york times . retrieved 7 may 2014 . external links edit official website saravana bhavan as one of the top 50 restaurants in australia v t e veganism and vegetarianism perspectives veganism fruitarianism environmental veganism history of veganism juice fasting low carbon diet raw veganism stock free agriculture veganarchism vegan nutrition vegan organic gardening vegetarianism economic vegetarianism environmental vegetarianism history of vegetarianism lacto vegetarianism ovo vegetarianism ovo lacto vegetarianism vegetarianism by country vegetarian cuisine vegetarian ecofeminism vegetarian nutrition vegetarian diet pyramid semi vegetarianism macrobiotic diet pescetarianism lists list of vegans list of vegetarians list of vegetarian festivals list of vegetarian organizations list of vegetarian restaurants ethics secular animal rights animal welfare carnism deep ecology environmental vegetarianism ethics of eating meat meat paradox nonviolence speciesism tirukkural religious ahimsa buddhist vegetarianism christian vegetarianism diet in hinduism diet in sikhism ital rastafari jain vegetarianism jewish vegetarianism pythagorean diet sattvic diet food drink agar agave nectar meat analogue list of meat substitutes miso mochi mock duck nutritional yeast plant cream plant milk quinoa quorn seitan soy yogurt tempeh tofu tofurkey vegan cheese vegetarianism and beer vegetarianism and wine veggie burger vegetarian hot dog vegetarian sausage groups events companies vegan american vegan society beauty without cruelty food empowerment project go vegan movement for compassionate living physicians committee for responsible medicine plamil foods vegan awareness foundation vegan ireland vegan outreach vegan prisoners support group the vegan society veganz world vegan day vegetarian american vegetarian party boston vegetarian society christian vegetarian association european vegetarian union hare krishna food for life international vegetarian union jewish veg linda mccartney foods meat free days meatless monday swissveg toronto vegetarian association vegetarian society vegetarian society singapore veggie pride viva health world esperantist vegetarian association world vegetarian day books reports thirty nine reasons why i am a vegetarian 1903 the benefits of vegetarianism 1927 diet for a small planet 1971 moosewood cookbook 1977 fit for life 1985 diet for a new america 1987 the china study 2004 skinny bitch 2005 livestock s long shadow 2006 eating animals 2009 the kind diet 2009 why we love dogs eat pigs and wear cows 2009 eat & run 2012 meat atlas annual films meet your meat 2002 peaceable kingdom 2004 earthlings 2005 a sacred duty 2007 fat sick and nearly dead 2010 planeat 2010 forks over knives 2011 vegucated 2011 live and let live 2013 cowspiracy 2014 magazines vegetarian times vegnews naked food magazine physicians academics neal d. barnard t. colin campbell gary francione joel fuhrman michael greger melanie joy michael klaper john a. mcdougall reed mangels dean ornish richard h. schwartz caldwell esselstyn retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title saravana bhavan & oldid 732769276 categories vegetarian restaurants in indiarestaurants in chennairestaurants in delhisouth indian cuisinerestaurants established in 1981fast food chains of indiacatering and food service companies of indiaoverseas indian restaurantsvegetarian companies and establishmentsvegetarian restaurants 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