Suresh Chinnasamy, founder of Samy's Dosakall chain of restaurants, transformed his life from being taunted for making parottas at his father’s roadside eateries to owning a restaurant chain with an annual turnover of Rs 18 crore in two years.
He started working with his father's food carts at a young age, taking a break from schooling when the family shifted to their native place in Dindigul to set up an eatery.
Upon returning to Chennai, Suresh worked with his father and also started selling idlies, dosas, and poories from a separate food cart.
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Despite being mocked by classmates, he continued to work hard and passed the Class 10 board exams as a private candidate.
Suresh then pursued BA Corporate Secretaryship and a diploma in hotel management, working at Hotel Savera for practical experience.
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He then completed an MBA in Marketing through correspondence.
In 2001, he joined the Carnival Cruise Line as an assistant cook and began a one-month course before attending an interview in Mumbai.
With the help of a neighbour and his family's jewellery, he raised the money to travel to Miami and reported for work.
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He cleared the family's debt of around Rs 3 lakh in a few months.
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After working as a chef in the Carnival Cruise Liner and Hotel Ritz Carlton at Grand Cayman Island, Suresh returned to Chennai to start a chain of restaurants, serving a variety of non-vegetarian dishes at nominal prices.
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