From tech to food: How Albin Sunny launched a successful restaurant with no experience

Albin Sunny made a dramatic career change when he left his privacy compliance tech job in London to open a South Indian restaurant in Cardiff.

The Little Kochi launched in May 2022, after Albin identified a gap in Cardiff's dining scene for authentic Keralan dishes. He explains:

"There weren't actually many South Indian restaurants around. There are a few Sri Lankan street food-type places, but in terms of Keralan cuisine, it was pretty limited.

"So I thought, let's just take the leap, open one up, see how it goes."

The main challenge

The transition proved to be a serious test, as Albin had never worked in hospitality before.

"It was a complete flip from one industry to the other. I've never actually had any experience in hospitality, so it was a bit of a challenge."

Beyond the change in industry, running a business presented entirely new demands. Albin elaborates:

"I've always worked for a company or for someone. You have your task, you do it. Whereas now I'm leading a team of up to 12 employees, running finance and marketing, the day-to-day operations – all these different things in which I have no experience."

Self-funding his business

Albin has self-funded the restaurant using personal savings and borrowing directly from his father.

Despite what he describes as "a lot of expensive mistakes" during the learning process, Albin now employs up to 10 staff and has plans to expand with a street food offering in 2026. But the opening night was a major lesson.

"The first day we opened, we didn't have napkins! So we had to run to Sainsbury's, get napkins and rush back. Obviously it's not the best first impression, but you just make these kinds of mistakes and then ensure everything's in place next time."

Three years on and things are a success. Albin has already studied on the Help to Grow: Management Course and is now looking for a mentor to help him grow the business even more. He says:

"It's going pretty well, to be fair. We're busy. We had one of our busiest-ever weeks last week."

Albin's five key lessons from starting a restaurant business

1. Expect expensive mistakes early on. "You learn a lot through trial and error. Budget for these learning experiences as they're inevitable when you're new to an industry."

2. Master a number of different disciplines quickly. "You'll need to become competent in finance, marketing, staff management and operations all at once, even if you've never done them before."

3. Staff scheduling is crucial. "Plan holiday cover carefully. We got unexpectedly busy during staff holidays, which meant I was working until midnight just to keep up."

4. Industry experience isn't everything. "I had zero hospitality background, but identifying a genuine gap in the market and being willing to learn made up for it."

5. Self-funding requires careful planning. "Using personal savings and family support gave us control, but you need to be realistic about cash flow, especially in those first challenging months."

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