Our videos dive into business growth, operational excellence, and concrete strategies to scale your company. Real-world case studies, expert interviews, and actionable advice: follow us to accelerate your growth journey.
Our videos dive into business growth, operational excellence, and concrete strategies to scale your company. Real-world case studies, expert interviews, and actionable advice: follow us to accelerate your growth journey.
In this third episode, Maxime Nicolas welcomes Graffi Rathamohan, co-founder of PNY. She shares her journey from a child of immigrants to a restaurateur-entrepreneur, and the method that elevated PNY into a benchmark for premium burgers.
The daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants, Graffi grew up with modest means but strong values, shaped by a father who worked as a janitor and instilled pride in a job well done. At school, she set her sights on excellence and, encouraged by a decisive teacher, entered a prestigious Parisian preparatory program. The shock of academic rigor built her resilience: from nearly last in her class, she rose to the top, learned to embrace effort, and developed a clear-eyed confidence in her ability to progress.
At HEC, she developed a passion for corporate finance, discovering that business was like a score sheet made visible in a profit and loss statement. Internships in startups, incubators, and later a New York investment bank sharpened her appetite for autonomy and responsibility. In Manhattan, she witnessed the rise of Shake Shack, and the idea of a well-executed premium burger took root—though not yet as a formal project.
In 2011, a Facebook message from Rudy, her future partner, set the adventure in motion. The duo began with a highly systematized “fast casual” model, but after a pivotal exchange with a seasoned industry veteran, they shifted course: PNY would become a true restaurant—table service, drinks, ambiance, and 14 daily services to maximize assets. This repositioning led to their December 2012 opening and established a playground where gastronomy and hospitality came first.
Differentiation began with taste: one year of R&D to source every component and aim for the top of the rankings. Next came experience: PNY was the only “premium wave” player to offer table service in a carefully designed setting, with consistently fast and high-quality food. Finally, the brand: a finely crafted identity—audience, tone, locations, visual codes—developed in-house, guiding site selection and deepening the PNY narrative.