Jayaram Banan's story is a testament to perseverance and determination. Despite starting from humble beginnings, he overcame all hardships with sheer hard work and perseverance to create a successful business, encouraging us to keep going in the face of challenges.
However, it hasn't been an easy road for Jayaram Banan, who started the Sagar Ratna restaurant business after making Rs 18 for dishwashing in a Mumbai cafeteria. The 64-year-old proprietor of the well-known South Indian eatery, Jayaram Banan, escaped from his Udupi, Karnataka, home in an attempt to succeed in life and get away from his father.
Despite the difficulties, Jayaram traveled by bus from Mangalore to Mumbai in 1967. Jayaram earned crores of rupees a year by building a profitable food chain with a value of crores via hard work and perseverance. After failing his school exam, Jayaram stole some money from his father's pocket and ran away from home when he was 13 years old.
When Jayaram initially got to Mumbai, he was unemployed, so he accepted a job at a restaurant for Rs 18 washing utensils. He put in a lot of work, and the reward was a promotion to manager and a wage rise to Rs 200 a month. He later relocated to Delhi in 1974, where he started working as a canteen manager until founding Sagar, his restaurant, in 1986. Sagar's first day of operation brought in Rs 408.
Jayaram's commitment and diligence paid off as his eatery gained recognition. The delicious South Indian food he was serving attracted more and more customers, leading to an increase in footfall. Inspired by this achievement, Jayaram decided to grow his company and create a branch in Delhi's Lodhi Market. Customers kept coming to his restaurant even though he was charging 20% more, which inspired him to launch "Sagar-Ratna" as his startup. Currently, the company has more than 60 locations in North India and more than 30 in Delhi alone.
With stores now operating in Canada, Singapore, and Bangkok, Sagar Ratna generates more than Rs 300 crore in revenue annually. In 2001, Jayaram founded the Swagat restaurant franchise in addition to Sagar Ratna. He's known as the 'Dosa King of the North' because of his achievements. Currently operating over 100 eateries globally, Jayaram brings in millions of rupees annually.
