Mr. PG Shanmugam made a big shift in 1989, leaving the oil and ice industries behind to focus solely on launching Shri Ganesh Bhavan in T Nagar, Chennai.

Facing struggles in his previous ventures, he saw potential in the restaurant industry and decided to start afresh. And with that decision, Shri Ganesh Bhavan began its journey.

Starting small in T Nagar

T Nagar, one of Chennai’s most lively hotspots, has always drawn visitors looking for a place to shop and stay. Recognizing this constant demand for warm and welcoming accommodations, Mr. PG Shanmugam established the Shri Ganesh Bhavan Hotel here decades ago.

In the early days, the hotel would serve traditional South Indian dishes exclusively to hotel guests who wished to savour local delicacies. While guests loved their hospitality, something unexpected happened: their food became the real star! Soon the buzz grew beyond the hotel’s walls, leading them to start focusing on what they did best.

Realizing their food was a hit, they opened their restaurant to the public in 1989, expanding beyond guests staying at the hotel. Around that time, another South Indian restaurant had also opened near their hotel in T Nagar. Seeing the growing demand for it, they realised setting up their own restaurant would be a sensible move.

Then in 2000, Mr. PG Shanmugam’s son, Vinodh Kumar, stepped into the business, followed by his brother Karthikeyan in 2011, who joined to carry Shri Ganesh Bhavan forward. Karthikeyan trained under his father for five years before fully taking charge, bringing new energy while preserving traditions.  

Karthikeyan recalls, “We had always been passionate about food, so we took the leap to start the restaurant. Although back in the day, things were simpler. We didn’t care about trends and competition, just making sure our customers had a great experience.”

Decades later, that commitment has paid off. With overwhelmingly positive feedback and growing demand for its well-preserved cuisine, Shri Ganesh Bhavan now has ten outlets spread across Chennai.

Success after a storm

The pandemic was the first big challenge that the restaurant faced. For the first two months, they were forced to shut all their outlets down completely. They restarted their operations gradually, beginning by offering only takeaway parcels from a small counter.

Karthikeyan says, “The impact on business was severe, and survival seemed uncertain. But we took it on as a challenge and knew we needed to overcome this. We pushed through with relentless determination.” He adds, “I am very thankful to my team members who stood by me during those tough times.”

Post COVID, they grew rapidly from three to ten outlets in the two years between 2022 and 2024. Their approach involved first assessing the market by gathering local insights, following which they would open up outlets in key locations. Karthikeyan explains, “We have been in the industry for years. Because of this, we have developed a deep understanding of consumer preferences in different areas.”

Their latest addition is an outlet in Egmore, which has been operational for the past six months. They chose the location due to its high footfall, proximity to a railway station and IT Hub.

The secret ingredient?

According to Karthikeyan, the restaurant has built a loyal customer base over the years by consistently serving quality food at affordable prices. He credits this to the longstanding dedication of his staff, many of whom have been with them through the years.

Their food is prepped at the T Nagar Hotel and transported to all other outlets to ensure that every dish tastes as good as the original. Kartikeyan personally oversees ingredient sourcing to ensure that quality is never compromised.

Situated in Chennai, the restaurant faces stiff competition from other eateries serving similar cuisine. However, there’s one thing that keeps their customers coming back for more: their chutneys.

The five signature variants served at their restaurant—coriander, onion, tomato, raw peanut and coconut—are well loved by customers for their authentic taste. These recipes have remained unchanged since the inception of the restaurant. Karthikeyan mentions, “Besides the chutneys, our masala dosa meals are a huge hit.”

In 2016, Kartikeyan noticed the need to diversify the menu, which till then had only South Indian dishes. Noticing the strong demand for Chinese food, he decided to shake things up by introducing these delicacies at their restaurant.

Going online with Zomato!

Karthikeyan onboarded Shri Ganesh Bhavan on Zomato in June 2023 when he realised the need to expand the restaurant’s reach. This move came at a crucial time, when they realised that their offline sales were beginning to take a hit.

By utilising Zomato’s online ordering and delivery services, they were able to connect with many more customers who now had the option to savour their meals right at home. With this, they increased their monthly orders by 420x between June 2023 to January 2025, reaching their all time high in January.

Karthikeyan says, “Zomato has enabled us to drive our sales and achieve exponential growth since we joined the platform. Their constant support and services have played a key role in our success!”

What’s Next?

For Karthikeyan, the future of Shri Ganesh Bhavan looks more promising than ever, and expansion remains a top priority!

Karthikeyan says, “We have received amazing feedback for our food and the demand keeps increasing. Now we are gearing up to open up three more outlets across the city over the next couple months.” With this, their mission to step into a new era of growth is well underway.