Sambnani Haresh Pritamdas, 1998
The ingredients of success!
 | Haresh Pritamdas is nicknamed the "Millionaire Prata Guy" by all his close friends, and for good reason. This 30-year old entrepreneur literally whipped up a storm in the local food scene with the creation of ‘Spize - The Makan Place’ in 2003. This prata outfit is the collective brainchild of his brother - Anil Pritamdas and himself. They both shared a common love affair for this local Indian dish and envisioned a niche they could carve for themselves by giving all Singaporeans a gastronomical experience in prata like no other. Their dreams were transformed into reality in August 2003, and the rest, as they say, is history. |
True to the brothers’ first convictions, this restaurant is simply not your regular prata place, from the décor right down to the food. The interior, according to TheUrbanWire.com, is anything but ordinary – "vibrant and contemporary", consisting of "Balinese paintings and artwork on earth-toned walls painted in brown and orange with soft rock music playing in the background".
The restaurants have also garnered many favourable reviews on eatery programmes and food websites. The brothers currently run 2 restaurants in Singapore - Spize River Valley at 409 River Valley Road, and Spize Simpang Bedok at 338 Bedok Road. At River Valley, the popular dishes are the Mee Goreng Pattaya and Chicken Cheese Murtabak, while at the Bedok outlet, the Mediterranean Grill is the speciality. The recipes are actually sourced from a combination of various cookbooks and self experimentation!
Haresh obviously knows how to cook, but he reveals how life’s ‘hard knocks’ have given him the chance to refine his skills further. "Whilst schooling at TP, I had to pay my own fees and took up a full-time job at Country Manna as a cook...." Incidentally, this Accounting & Finance (A&F) graduate’s first job was in audit - at KPMG – a stint he held on for 6 months before his food business instincts took over. That was when he accepted an opportunity to run The Book Café in an MPH bookstore with his brother.
His rigorous diploma training has not gone to waste though - Haresh was quick to point out that the Diploma in A&F has helped him in setting up and running this business. "You really need a good business foundation when making any business decisions." He also agrees that studying at TP has helped him in his career in many areas like character-building and leadership. "Networking is crucial and must never be taken for granted in the business environment."
So what are Haresh's plans for the future? "Spize is now on an expansion mode! We are at final stages of conceptualising with regards to our rebranding. We have had several offers to franchise and are focusing on developing a detailed franchise proposal as well as strengthening our base."
The man himself is also on the upgrade mode – he is currently pursuing a joint hospitality degree program at SIM and IMI in Lucerne, Switzerland. We wish Haresh all the best in his business and studies!
