New Delhi. The famous dosa chain ‘Dosa Plaza’ has more than 70 outlets in the country today. Its business extends to Australia and New Zealand. Today this startup does an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore. You will be surprised to know that Dosa Plaza founder Prem Ganapati once used to wash utensils at a bakery in Mumbai. Prem Ganapathy was born in Nagalapuram, Tamil Nadu. They were seven brothers and sisters and their family lived in extreme poverty. After studying till 10th class, Ganapathy came to Chennai and started doing small jobs. His salary was only Rs 250 per month. On the advice of a friend, he came to Mumbai in 1990 with only Rs 200.
The friend had tricked Ganpati into giving him a job of Rs 1200 per month. As soon as he reached the city, that friend cheated him at Bandra station and disappeared and took with him all his money and trust. But this deception did not break him, but lit the fire of a new beginning. Unknown city, no language understood and no money in pocket to go back. There were difficulties all around for Ganapati.
Decided to do something in Mumbai itself
After spending a few hours at the railway station, Prem Ganapathy decided not to go back home. The problem was that he did not know anyone here and he did not even know Marathi or Hindi. But, he decided to stay in Mumbai only. He reached a bakery in Mahim and requested for work. The bakery owner gave him the job of washing utensils at a monthly salary of Rs 150. After a few days, he also started making dosa at a nearby dhaba. Due to this he started getting a little more money.
Cart was installed after two years
After working for many years, Ganapathy started his work in 1992. In 1992, with the help of his savings, he rented a cart and started selling idli-dosa in front of Vashi railway station. He also called his brother to him. The cart was small, but his dream was big. Prem had decided that his cart would be the cleanest in the city. He and his brothers would work wearing clean clothes and caps. People saw this change, trusted it and found the taste like home. Soon this cart started earning around Rs 20,000 a month.
journey from cart to shop
After five years of hard work, in 1997, Prem rented a small shop space and named it ‘Prem Sagar Dosa Plaza’. The customers who came here, especially students, became his friends. It was through them that he saw the Internet for the first time and got information about cuisines from around the world. He started experimenting and soon unique flavors like Schezwan Dosa started emerging. Over the next few years, it became a local startup producing more than 105 types of dosas.
Prem’s dream was to open a shop in a big mall, but since Prem Sagar Dosa Plaza was not a very big brand, he was not able to get space in any mall. He was sad. But, suddenly his luck changed. The manager of Center One Mall was his customer. He was very impressed with the quality of Prem’s dosa. He himself offered space in the mall. This opportunity changed the direction of Prem Ganpati’s life.
Now outlets in India and abroad
Prem Ganapathy was not happy with a restaurant. He gradually started expanding his business and adopted the franchise model. Today Dosa Plaza has outlets in more than 70 cities of the country. Not only this, three outlets of Dosa Plaza have opened in New Zealand and two in Australia too. Dosa Plaza today serves 104 types of dosas.
