18 entrepreneurs
Atul Pathak’s ambition drives his hunger for success
It is 12 years since Atul Pathak became a McDonald’s franchisee and opened his first restaurant in Hanwell. Today, he heads up the Appt Corporation, owning and running a chain of 26 McDonald’s which stretch from Maidenhead and Bracknell, to Finchley and Richmond. Still ambitious, he dedicates a considerable amount of his time and money to community and charity ventures and says he has never forgotten his humble beginnings. Alison Dewar presented him with a menu of questions
Now 54, Pathak was born in India, the son of a coalminer and a teacher. One of three brothers, his parents instilled the value of a good education and hard work in all their sons. He arrived in the UK after graduating from university in 1984. Working 13 hours a day in a cash-and-carry, he then moved onto a management career in the hotel industry, before going on to buy his own bed and breakfast. In 2003, he became a franchisee of McDonald’s and his success has brought him a raft of accolades, including GG2 Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2011, Asian Lite Business Awards 2012, British Airways Community Champion Awards 2012, Pride of Punjab Award 2013 and National Grid Responsible Business Champion 2015.
came to the UK because I could see that there was a real opportunity for hard work to be properly rewarded and that I could start, build and grow a business. I didn’t know precisely what that would be, but I did know that I could do it. When we arrived we lived with an aunt for about two weeks, before being able to rent a room in Heston for £30 a week.
What was your first job?
My very first job here was at a cash-and-carry in Southall. I was not that well built and the owner laughed at me because he didn’t think I could hack the job of offloading all the deliveries – including an endless supply of sacks of potatoes. I offered to work free for a week and, within four days, he not only took me on but paid me from day one. I worked a 13-hour shift for £10 a day.
Who inspired your success?
My parents made considerable sacrifices to pay the fees for my older brother to go to university. When it was my turn, I felt I should make a contribution, so I started working in a restaurant to earn some money; but in India it wasn’t common for young people to work your way through your studies and I got quite a ribbing from my work colleagues. I studied economics, English and geography and after the first year, I was able to pay my own way, so my parents no longer had to continue to make those sacrifices for me. That made me feel liberated, independent and pretty convinced I thought I had what it would take to be a success.
Why did you come to England?
I had got married at 19 and was working in a five- star hotel in India, but my ambition was always to work for myself and become an entrepreneur. We
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By complete chance – or maybe it was providence – a few years later, I bought the McDonald’s a couple of doors away from that same cash-and-carry and my first boss and I still get together for a coffee and a good chat.
You also worked in hotel management?
Yes, I took a job as an assistant manager at a four-star hotel in the Cromwell Road and it wasn’t long before I ended up as the operations director for a group of 12 hotels. That meant a seven-day week, which I had no problem with, but I still wasn’t my own boss.
What prompted you to start your own business?
One day I realised I had had enough of working for other people so we bought a small B&B in London. Those first two years were quite a challenge as my salary dropped and we had to cut down on luxuries; plus I went from having a very busy job working across a large number of hotels to a much simpler life of managing a small B&B. But at least I was my own boss.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MAY 2015
How did the McDonald’s franchise come about?
It was obvious to me that McDonald’s was very different to lots of other big companies. Its employees were really motivated and the premises were always spotlessly clean. When I analysed its business model, I could see there were lots of benefits over and above what I was doing at that time. At McDonald’s, customers walk through the golden arches and pay you there and then; you don’t have to chase them for money. All you have to do is to make sure you look after them really well.
I applied to be a franchisee, McDonald’s gets thousands of applications every year and only one or two people get through. It is said you have a better chance of winning the X Factor than being chosen, but I was very fortunate to get through. I did nine months of training and in 2003 I opened my first restaurant in
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