Meet Patricia Narayan, sold tea, cutlet on beach, now runs chain of restaurants with revenue Rs 2,00,000 per day

Patricia Narayan is a well-known self-made businesswoman and renowned restaurateur in Chennai. But the story of her life is one of overcoming hardship with tenacity, courage, and pure willpower. Narayan shaped her destiny via ups and downs over a three-decade career, going from fleeing a poor marriage and being a single mother of two children without help to being the head of a renowned chain of restaurants.

Patricia Narayan, Director of the Sandheepa Chain of Restaurants and recipient of the 2010 FICCI Women Entrepreneur Award success story has attributed to her dedication, passion, and hard work.

Patricia has persevered despite all obstacles and difficulties, working her way up from 50 paise to Rs. 2 lakhs per day, from riding in a cycle rickshaw to owning a car, and from only 2 individuals to the 200 people who now work for her. She has gradually thrived and made a name for herself as a prosperous businesswoman.  

Patricia’s early life
Patricia was born in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, into a traditional Christian family. In defiance of her family's desires, she wed a Hindu Brahmin boy Narayan when she was 17 years old. Her husband eventually revealed himself to be an abusive drug user after a few months. She and their kids were not a priority for him. She made the decision to divorce her marriage after a year. She, however, had nowhere to go with her two kids. Luckily, her father accepted them and decided to forgive her. Patricia decided to move out as soon as possible and become independent. 

Patricia's success story
Patricia loved to experiment with food and was always interested in cooking. So she made the decision to make a career out of her love of cooking. Her mother lent her some money and she decided to make some homemade pickles and jams. In a day, all the things were sold out by her mother’s colleagues. Patricia made the decision to set up a cart at Marina Beach, one of Chennai's biggest public areas, in order to boost her sales and offer her meals to a wider crowd. 

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To assist her in selling snacks, fresh juice, coffee, and tea, two disabled people were hired. She only made a cup of coffee on her first day in business, but she didn't give up. Her sales rose the following day to Rs. 700. Later, she expanded her menu to include ice cream, sandwiches, and french fries. She continued her business and made enough money to sustain her family from 1982 until 2003.

The Slum Clearing Board Chairman was once impressed by the quality of her meals. She was given the opportunity to manage the canteen at his office. She then began opening additional branches in all of Chennai's offices. She joined the Sangeetha Restaurant group as a partner in 1998. 

In honour of her daughter, Patricia and her son opened their first restaurant, Sandheepha, in 2006. Her brand serves numerous large corporate food courts in addition to solo restaurants. Patricia also manages an ambulance service in the town of Acharapakkam, where the renowned businesswoman's daughter passed away.