Cover The family behind Samy's Curry, M Veerasamy, Madam Veerasakthi Mahendran and Nagajyothi Mahendran
The family behind Samy's Curry, M Veerasamy, Madam Veerasakthi Mahendran and Nagajyothi Mahendran
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Third-generation owner Nagajyothi Mahendran of Samy’s Curry shares insight on running an institution
In this series, Tatler speaks to second-generation entrepreneurs about their business journeys. They share more about stepping out on their own, life lessons learnt through business and how they hope to keep their family legacy alive.
Visit Samy’s Curry for a meal and you’ll find third-generation director Nagajyothi Mahendran on the grounds working alongside her brother M Veerasamy and her parents—but blink and you might miss her as she’s constantly on the move, talking to customers, taking orders, serving dishes and more.
For Nagajyothi, her family’s restaurant is like her second home. Today, you’ll find her in the restaurant from 11am to 10pm, even on weekends. But even as a child, Nagajyothi would be found at the restaurant finishing her homework or playing around the area. “I would go to our restaurant most of the time after school since there was no one at home—both my parents would be working at the restaurant,” she says, adding that she would keep herself busy while waiting for her mother to bring her back home.
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While her parents had taken over the business from Nagajyothi’s grandfather M Veerasamy, Nagajyothi’s parents never expected her to do the same. In fact, they just insisted on her “getting a good education” and doing well in school.
Growing up, Nagajyothi dreamt of being many things—a doctor, a teacher and working in bio-technology. But one thing was for sure: she wanted to work with people. She explains: “I wanted to meet and interact with new people every day. That never changed since I was a child.”
Although Nagajyothi always thought that she would end up in another career, it quickly changed when her father fell ill when she was 18.
Above Nagajyothi Mahendran, the third-gen owner of Samy's Curry
Nagajyothi Mahendran, the third-gen owner of Samy's Curry
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Rising to the occasion
Nagajyothi believes she joined the business full-time by accident. When her father had a major heart attack and was advised to rest, she decided to step up and help run the business. “[During this time], my mother stayed with [my father] to take care of him and my brother was too young at that time [to help in the restaurant]. So I was the only one left who had to rise up to the occasion,” she shares.
Even though she was already regularly helping out in the restaurant, this time she had to be the “boss”. Fortunately for Nagajyothi, it was not a drastic obstacle. By helping in the restaurant, she had already been learning all aspects of running the business “without actually thinking about it”.
Her love for working in the restaurant has only grown even bigger since taking over. “I get to meet and interact with people from all walks of life every single day. Most importantly I get to do so without even travelling” she muses. Having been in the business for over 15 years, she has talked to plenty of customers, learning about their individual stories.
Above Mahendran and her mum
Mahendran and her mum
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“We had a customer who told us that he brought his girlfriend on a date in the ’70s. He got married to her and continued to patronise the restaurant with his wife and children,” she says, adding how he now eats at the restaurant with his grandchildren.
Nagajyothi always makes it a point to speak to her customers. She shares how there’s an elderly lady who regularly visits alone. She continues: “She told us that she and her husband used to visit the restaurant very often. Now that he has passed, she comes [to the restaurant] whenever she can to remind her of the time he spent with her. I make it a point to go and talk to her whenever she comes and just chit-chat.”
She explains how these stories always motivate her through difficult and tiring days, making “all our hard work and long hours worthwhile”.
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Above Fish head curry at Samy's Curry
Fish head curry at Samy's Curry
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Today, she carries on the business with her younger brother and like any family business, working with family comes with disagreements. But at the end of the day, Nagajyothi shares how blood is thicker than water, “as cliche as it sounds,” she says. Since young, her parents had always taught her and her brother the importance of open communication, which they continue to practice when disagreements spark. “Eventually, one of us will give in and come talk to the other,” she continues.
Despite these moments, Nagajyothi shares how she has always felt safe and secure while working with her family. She adds: “I’m not afraid of people backstabbing or betraying me because, at the end of the day, the fact is that I am working with my own family.”
Reminiscing, Nagajyothi shares how some of her most memorable experiences working with her family come after a busy day or a busy festive season. “After a long busy day or week of hard work, we sit down together, eat and recall and share the crazy, funny and stressful incidents that happened. We would have a good laugh about the same incident that almost gave us a mental meltdown a few hours ago and feel content that all went well at the end,” she shares. Sharing these moments reminds them that they “still have each other’s backs in stressful times” and always manage to pull each other up.
Above Briyani rice at Samy's Curry
Briyani rice at Samy's Curry
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Staying true to the roots
Today, many fans of Samy’s Curry would call the beloved restaurant an institution. After all, it’s one of Singapore’s most famous Indian restaurants drawing diners in with their hearty dishes. However, it was not always the case as Nagajyothi shares how “very few people” knew about the restaurant while she was young. As the restaurant was previously part of the Civil Service Club along Dempsey Road, she shares how the restaurant used to only be popular with “certain groups like the civil servants”.
Back then, her parents would also not participate in any media interactions, instead relying heavily on “good word of mouth”. While spreading news about the restaurant through word of mouth has been successful, Nagajyothi plans to continue increasing the restaurant’s presence on social media to help attract the younger generation. Nagajyothi constantly encourages her family to participate in online and newspaper features which have helped the restaurant to experience a surge in popularity. Since taking over, she has also helped to introduce and streamline various processes including the point of sale (POS) system, ordering system and kitchen machinery, among others.
Above Samy’s Curry continues to serve customers on real banana leaves
Samy’s Curry continues to serve customers on real banana leaves
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While evolving the brand is necessary, some things still remain the same and will continue to do so in time to come. For one, Samy’s Curry remains committed to serving its customers in true South Indian style: bringing pails of curry and side dishes to the table and serving it on real banana leaves. The latter is a South Indian tradition that has been around for hundreds of years. When it comes to its dishes, secret recipes created by founder and Nagajyothi’s grandfather M Veerasamy have been guarded protectively, with ingredients and cooking methods being closely monitored to ensure the same taste each time.
With Nagajyothi and her family continuing her grandfather’s legacy, we’re sure to continue seeing big things from Samy’s Curry in the years to come.
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Amanda Goh was the former senior writer for Tatler Singapore.
