Today we’d like to introduce you to Narendra and Sonal Patel.
Narendra and Sonal, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story began in Mumbai, India where I graduated from a catering college in 1992. I came to New York in 1993 with less than $20 to start my career and make a living. Starting a career as a chef in New York, I worked my way up to own several Indian restaurants. As time flew, I got married to my beautiful wife, Sonal Patel, and moved to Atlanta in 1995. Consisting of a degree in Biology and Chemistry, We both worked at GA Tech as a Lab technician. In 1998, we brought small Indian restaurant in Atlanta which was named, Madras Cafe. Within two years, we found great success which led to us opening our first grand restaurant named, Madras Saravana Bahvan in Decatur. As this restaurant was a hit and bought us a lot of success and awards, we expanded a Madras Saravana Bhavan to Savannah. In 2006, we sold Madras Saravana Bahvan and opened Bollywood Masala Grill House which was renamed to Madras Chettinaad in Decatur. In 2008, we moved Madras Chettinad to Alpharetta, GA, which is a current favorite to many consumers today. In 2015, we opened an all new Indian vegetarian restaurant named Madras Mantra which is flooded in great success. This life changing event would not have been possible without my supportive wife and loyal staff who has been working for me for more than 15 years.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Owning these restaurants was everything but a smooth road. Success comes with many sacrifices as we make one every day. Dedication is important in owning a business as we work 70 hours a week with no days off and could be a hassle with a shortage of staff. We gave up many things along the way to fix a certain problem in these restaurants. Regardless of the struggle, America is a place where dreams come true if you work hard and stay focused.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Madras Chettinaad – what should we know?
Madras Chettinaad is the only Indian restaurant in Atlanta where we serve South and North Indian vegetarian/Non-vegetarian food. It also has the biggest lunch buffet in the southeast. We are specialized by Chettinaad style cuisine which comes from a South Indian state named, Tamil Nadu. We feel very proud for the responses we receive from the Indian and Non-Indian community and we are pleased to serve them.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4305 state bridge road
108 - Website: www.madraschettinaad.com
- Phone: 4043844754
- Email: chettinaad@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChettinaadRestaurant
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/madrasatlanta?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/madras-chettinaad-alpharetta
Image Credit:
Daemon Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
