After more than two decades in Singapore’s food and beverage industry, Springleaf Prata Place founder SV Gunalan, better known as Guna, has learned that his biggest customers are not necessarily the people many would expect.
Speaking on a 44-minute podcast, Guna revealed that less than 3 per cent of Springleaf Prata Place’s customers are Indian, despite the restaurant chain specialising in Indian-style prata and curry.
More than 90 per cent of his customers are non-Indian, with Chinese diners making up a particularly significant part of the customer base.
The revelation came as Guna discussed the changing tastes of Singaporeans and the lessons he has picked up since opening his first outlet in 2003.
Fish curry overtakes chicken curry
Guna said chicken curry was originally the most popular choice among customers when the business first started.
Over time, however, fish curry became the clear favourite.
Today, he estimates that around 70 to 80 per cent of the curry consumed with Springleaf’s prata is fish curry, compared with about 20 per cent chicken curry.
He also observed an interesting difference in customer preferences.
According to Guna, Indian customers generally do not order fish head curry at his outlets, while the dish is particularly popular among Chinese diners.
The experience has also changed his assumptions about who enjoys spicy food.
Guna said some Chinese customers have told him that they can handle even spicier curry, prompting him to consider whether Springleaf could eventually experiment with a mala-inspired prata.
Every prata dough is made by workers with autism
Beyond food, Guna spoke about another aspect of the business that he is particularly proud of: its employment of people with special needs.
He revealed that every batch of prata dough produced at Springleaf’s central kitchen is made by workers with autism.
The central kitchen currently employs between six and eight people with autism to prepare the dough, while its dishwashing team is also made up entirely of people with disabilities.
About 35 per cent of the central kitchen’s workforce currently consists of people with special needs.
Guna said his long-term goal is to increase that proportion to around 80 per cent.
Springleaf works with the Autism Resource Centre to train and assess potential employees before they join the central kitchen.
The kitchen has also been designed around the needs of its workers, with greater reliance on machinery so employees do not have to work directly around open flames.
Guna wants the business to create opportunities
For Guna, employing people with disabilities is not simply a corporate social responsibility initiative.
He sees the central kitchen as a place where people with different abilities can develop meaningful work skills in a controlled environment.
The approach is part of a broader philosophy he has developed over more than 20 years of running Springleaf.
The business began as a single outlet and has since grown into a chain with 12 outlets across Singapore.
Rather than focusing solely on expansion, Guna has also spoken about creating opportunities for employees to take on greater responsibilities as the company grows.
From reluctant restaurateur to prata entrepreneur
Guna did not initially plan to spend his career in the food business.
His parents had operated a restaurant, and he began helping out from a young age. But he initially wanted to avoid the long hours and demanding conditions of the F&B industry.
He eventually entered the corporate world and worked as an auditor.
After about four years, however, he realised that the restaurant business was where he wanted to be.
In 2003, he started what would eventually become Springleaf Prata Place.
The brand later became known for combining traditional prata with unusual ingredients and creative fillings, helping it stand out in Singapore’s crowded supper and hawker-food scene.
A business built around experimentation
Springleaf’s reputation for creative prata creations has become one of its defining features.
The business’ Ultimate Series has produced dishes that combine prata with ingredients ranging from cheese and mushrooms to tandoori chicken.
Guna said customer demand encouraged the restaurant to continue creating new combinations rather than treating prata as a fixed traditional product.
That willingness to experiment has also carried over into the way the business thinks about its customers.
The popularity of fish curry among Chinese diners, for example, has shown Guna that food preferences cannot always be predicted simply by culture or cuisine.
Instead, he said the business has learned by listening to what customers actually order and request.
More than 20 years of changing customer tastes
Guna’s comments highlight how Singapore’s food culture has evolved alongside businesses such as Springleaf.
Prata remains closely associated with Indian cuisine, but its customer base has become increasingly diverse.
For Springleaf, that diversity has created opportunities to experiment with flavours while retaining the basic appeal of prata and curry.
It has also allowed the restaurant to build a customer base that extends well beyond the community traditionally associated with the dish.
After more than two decades in business, Guna’s biggest lesson may be that understanding customers is just as important as perfecting the food.
And for a prata business that now has a dozen outlets, that willingness to adapt appears to be a major part of its staying power.
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