Punjab Restaurant ( Central London) Celebrates Its 80th Anniversary

As Punjab Restaurant celebrates its 80th anniversary, we recognise the contribution of fourth-generation family member, Amritpal Singh Maan, or as we say, “Boss”, Amrit Maan.

The great-grandson of founder Sardar Gurbachan Singh Maan and son of Chair, Sardar Sital Singh Maan, Amrit grew up around the restaurant, spending much time naturally learning the values that have guided Punjab since 1946. After qualifying as a solicitor and completing an MBA, Amrit built a career supporting businesses and enterprise development

His first formal involvement in the family business was in 2001 as part-time Company Director. He was keen to use his business acumen and wanted to shine a light on the restaurant’s unique #BritishPunjabi brand with changes such as refreshing the menu descriptions. He also introduced the now famed images on the walls of the restaurant, a mixture of family, historic images related to the restaurant, and images related to Punjabi icons; each has its own story to tell.

Amrit joined Punjab full-time in 2008, becoming Managing Director in 2012, and since rebranded the logo to as we recognise it now. Importantly, he also ascertained the correct year of establishment as 1946 by going through old paperwork – Sital Singh had always believed it was 1947 and this finding resulted in having to to redo the restaurant canopy to correct the error!

In 2018 he signed the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of #PunjabCoventGarden and the pandemic saw the restaurant become a vital community resource. In 2022, he received an OBE for his services to Charity & Community.

Working alongside the watchful eye and guidance of his father, Sital Singh Maan, Amrit has helped steer the restaurant through changing times while ensuring that the traditions, recipes and welcoming spirit established by his great-grandfather remain at the heart of Punjab. As Punjab enters its ninth decade, Amrit continues to balance tradition with new ideas, helping ensure that this much-loved family business remains viable and relevant for future generations while staying true to the values on which it was built nearly 80 years ago.