This grocery chain went from one location to 14 by finding a niche and sticking with it.

In 1973, Uka Solanki didn’t know much about running a business. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Pacific State University and a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from India, he began his career in the food industry when he bought a drive-through dairy store on Redondo Beach.

After getting his feet wet, Solanki and a team of friends purchased a grocery store in Torrance, Calif. The store was too large for the novice businessmen to manage, so they sold it six months later. Shortly thereafter, Solanki took his portion of the profits and embarked on his own. He purchased Big Saver Foods, a small, independent grocery market located in Lincoln Heights in 1977. From there, it exploded into the 20th largest grocery store chain in Los Angeles with 14 stores throughout Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties.

If owning a grocery chain wasn’t Solanki’s dream 30 years ago, it certainly is now. “I fell into the business. There was a store for sale, and I bought it—it was a way to make a living. I worked hard, learned everything I could, and later expanded the business to where it is today,” he said.

The Big Saver Foods chain targets markets that other grocery chains have deemed undesirable. At first, Solanki bought stores from independent grocers and small chains in these neighborhoods because they were available. But over the years, as his business skills and understanding of the consumer sharpened, he realized he had found a niche: creating a “back home” experience for Hispanic Americans and their families at a reasonable cost.

“It’s not the color of our customers, it’s the shopping habits. The demographics we target have large families and fixed incomes. The majority of them prepare meals from scratch, and they tend to shop the whole store,” said Solanki. “We are especially strong in meat and produce, and our customer’s main priority in these areas is price.”

But competitive prices isn’t the only thing Uka’s Big Saver Foods is known for—customer service is also a source of pride. “Our employees live by the company’s 10 Commandments of customer service, and we have monthly meetings to reinforce that our employees are the first, and sometimes only, interaction with
customers,” said Solanki.

To attract and retain quality personnel, the company offers competitive health, dental, and vision packages, as well as a 401(k). Solanki and his team keep their doors wide open for employees and offer them numerous opportunities to move up the ladder. “A major initiative for us right now is promotion from within to keep our employees satisfied.” In addition, Uka’s Big Saver Foods encourages education and bestows generous college scholarships to employees and their families.

To keep prices low while continuing to meet the demands of its ever-growing markets, Uka’s Big Saver Foods has implemented automated time clocks. In the past, employees punched in and out of their shifts with the traditional manila time card, and an employee in payroll manually processed that information. Now, employees simply scan one of their hands, and the information is automatically entered into the computer system.

The information collected by payroll also serves as a great reporting tool. Not only can Uka’s Big Saver Foods break down productivity by department, but it can also staff more accurately. For instance, if the sales report indicates that business is consistently slow at a particular location on Tuesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., yet the payroll report shows that 10 grocery checkers are on duty during that time, the company can adjust accordingly.

Although the company constantly strives for innovation to improve efficiency and keep costs down, it has another mission in mind: giving back. Solanki is known for his generosity and philanthropy not only throughout the Los Angeles area, but also back home in India. “I believe in giving people a helping hand, not a hand out, and the foundation of all of my charity is education.”

Solanki donated $75,000 to the College of Liberal Arts at California State University, Long Beach, forming the Uka Solanki Foundation Lecture Series, which is aimed at promoting the study of India. In 2004, he raised the ante to $500,000 to endow the Yadunandan Center for Indian Studies. His other countless endeavors include everything from funding doctors to treating earthquake victims in India to creating reading programs and donating food to soup kitchens in local communities.

“It is not just giving money for charity. The vision is about examining the real need for giving and then formulating the mission to bring people together to help educate, rebuild, and improve lives for the less fortunate,” Solanki concluded.