From working part-time as a waiter to help pay his student tuition fees, to becoming the boss of an award-winning Indian restaurant - Saif Islam is nothing short of inspirational.

The 37-year-old, who has also now taken on the pub world, talks to Davina Jethwa about the secret to his success.

Saif, owner of Sundar Rachana in Rainham, has big plans for The Three Mariners next door.

Sitting side-by-side in the middle of the lengthy Lower Rainham Road, the two businesses complement each other very nicely.

Saif said: “Sometimes we get 100 people here [in the restaurant] so most of our customers come here then go for a drink next door, or they have booked here for 8pm and they go to the pub first.

“Both of the places work together really well so when the owners wanted to sell the business I thought that might affect us.

“We thought it was a win-win situation for us and so we took it on.”

Over the summer, improvements have been made to the pub’s beer garden with an outside bar, more seating and weekly barbecues.

And over the next year, he is planning a complete overhaul of the interior.

Last September, KentOnline reported how Saif’s pub co-owner, Steve Brindsley was losing thousands of pounds a week due to roadworks and closures on Lower Rainham Road.

And, Saif says it affected his restaurant “big time” too, with him losing half his customers during that period and a lot of money.

He said: “After that the road was closed again.

“Every time it was closed if affected us massively because people didn’t want to come because of the one-way access.”

He had to resort to social media, posting diversions and advising on the best routes to take.

“It was a really difficult time for us and took a lot of hard work to bring our customers back.”

Fortunately since then business has returned to normal.

The pub and restaurant, which he owns with partners Chris and Caroline Webster, have an average turnover of £500,000 a year.

The dad-of-two’s success in the hospitality industry was by no means guaranteed.

Born in Bangledesh, he was sent to London in 2009 by his family for higher education and it was there that a dream was born.

He said: “When I came over I didn’t think I was going to stay here and have a business and a family.

“It was quite expensive. We had to pay a lot of money for tuition fees so while I was studying I was working part-time as a waiter.”

Then aged 22, he realised he wanted to run a restaurant of his own and saw the opportunity if he stayed.

After speaking to a friend who convinced him to move to Kent as it would be more financially viable, he took the plunge and settled in Rainham.

But his love for cooking began far earlier than his business aspirations.

“When I was in Bangladesh I was kind of a mummy’s boy,” Saif laughed.

“My mum used to cook and I used to be around her watching and trying it – I think from there I picked up something.

“When I was a waiter the chef asked why I was always in the kitchen so I told him I loved cooking and he said he would teach and train me.

“I said if he could do that once a week I would take him out and treat him to a Nandos or a KFC."

He added: “Some things you can’t just learn from a book – cooking is an art.”

The path to perfection isn’t always smooth and it took multiple attempts to open up his first restaurant.

Saif says he tried at least three to four times before he got it right.

“It wasn’t like one day I woke up and ran a business, I planned it for a long time and finally I got successful.”

Friends Chris and Caroline – who he calls family – approached him about collaborating but had no experience in the industry.

They sat together over a cup of coffee to discuss the proposition and after seeing the restaurant was up for sale they snapped it up and took it over in 2017.

Saif handles the running of Sundar Rachana, and now The Three Mariners, while the others act as silent partners.

Over the past seven years, it has garnered a reputation for both its quality food and involvement in the community.

During Covid, it handed out 1,000 free meals to homeless charity Gillingham Street Angels and more recently held an event at the restaurant raising more than £4,000 for terminally-ill head teacher Alex Moir at Parkwood Primary School.

Last month, the eatery was named the best restaurant in Kent at the Tommy Miah International Chef Awards, or Tmiica for short.

Speaking about its success, Saif said: “When we first started we always knew we wanted to be different than a curry house.

“Normally if you go to an Indian restaurant you just get a basic curry that is not necessarily exciting.

“My chef and I worked on the menu for six months before we opened and before opening night he said ‘How many people should we make food for?’ and I told him 150 to 200 people.

“He said ‘No, it’s going to go to waste’ but I said ‘Trust me, I live in this town and I know the people’.

“We had 182 people come that night.”

The entrepreneur has even passed on his knowledge to a former waiter who has gone on to open his own restaurants, one of which is Melad Tandoori in Station Road, Aylesford.

Saif said: “I helped him set up everything and I told him running a business is not easy but it's not rocket science.

“If you want to run a business money doesn’t matter because you have to know what you’re doing – it's easier than having a pocket full of money but not knowing anything.

“The hard work will always pay off.”