Not everyone has what it takes to see their dreams come to reality, but Roshil Shrestha, of Santa Rosa, has learned, through hard work and singular focus, that dreams can be attained.
Near the beginning of 2013, when he started working for Mountain Mike’s Pizza as a delivery driver, it would have been hard to imagine that less than seven years later he and his family would become the owners of the Petaluma Mountain Mike’s store.
That is just what happened when Roshil, his brother Priyesh Shrestha and their parents Rajku Mar and Bebbyeriya Shrestha, fulfilled their dream of owning a successful family business. This had been a collective dream for their family since they had immigrated from Kathmandu, Nepal in 2010 to escape significant political instability. The family of four settled in Santa Rosa, where Roshil and Priyesh both graduated from Santa Rosa High School, Roshil in 2012 and his younger brother in 2014.
While living in Nepal, Roshil recalls his parents being successful in business.
“We saw our parents work very hard and we knew that this is what it takes to be successful,” he says.
Roshil’s journey toward business ownership began when he got a new, seemingly unassuming job.
“One day, my friend recommended me to Mountain Mike’s Pizza,” he recalls, “and I started as a delivery driver for the Cleveland Avenue location in Santa Rosa.”
Roshil refers to the (recently rebuilt) store that was burned down in the 2017 Tubb’s wildfire. After landing that original delivery job, it was soon clear that Roshil would not stay in that role for long. As his work ethic stood-out to management, he was soon moved into leadership.
“I started as a shift manager after the driver position,” Roshil recalls. “And then I worked myself up to being a store manager.”
In the following years, Roshil would work in many roles in the Mountain Mike’s chain of stores, regionally operated by Chandi Hospitality Group. He managed various locations for the company.
“They opened a bunch of new locations during that time and I helped to train the new employees,” he recalls.
Looking back over his journey, Roshil credits Chandi Hospitality, and its founder and president Bhupinder “Sonu” Singh Chandi for their generosity.
“Chandi Hospitality Group, and specifically Sonu, has helped us out a lot in the process, giving us the opportunity, to become managers,” he says. “They have always been there to help us out.”
During that time Roshil and his brother, who also had quickly risen to becoming a store manager, were saving their money to start their own business. Roshil remembers, “We were talking to Sonu and he told us this location (in Petaluma) is for sale if we wanted to jump in.”
Roshil is grateful for the opportunity to fulfill his dream of being in business with his family. He is appreciative of his parent’s model of hard work and sacrifice.
He is also thankful for his brother.
“(Priyesh) is one of the main strengths that I have,” he says. “He is younger than me, but he is really mature for his age. He always has been.”
Their family’s shared goal was more than simply owning a business. Instead it was about the family.
“We wanted to keep it in the family, to work as a family together,” Roshil stated. After pausing for a moment, he added, thoughtfully, “To move the family forward.”
On December 30, 2019 they realized their dream when the Shrestha family finally became owners of the Petaluma Mountain Mike’s Pizza store. That, of course, was, just a few weeks away from the beginnings of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were in the position of starting a new business and this happened,” he said. “We were super nervous. We didn’t know what was going to happen. We were kind of scared, because in February and March everything went down. We were so slow.”
However, the people of Petaluma did support their business in spite the very challenging time.
“I just love Petaluma city,” reflected Roshil. “It was awesome to see people’s generosity towards local business.” Roshil gratefully recalls the many customers who have said, “‘You are a family business, and we are here to support you.’” Acknowledging the effort it takes to stay afloat during such times, Roshil said, “We have a couple of employees who have been here since day one and they have been working hard in the last year.”
Now a year into the COVID pandemic, Roshil says the store is doing alright now. During the last year, they were able to sponsor a handful of fundraisers for local schools and nonprofits, and Roshil says they hope to do even more in 2021. In December, the store gave free pizza to local teachers in appreciation of their hard work over the pandemic, and Roshil and the family regularly donate food to the COTS homeless shelter.
“It’s heartbreaking to see people sleeping in the streets in the cold when the shelter’s capacity is filled,” says Roshil. “We try to support them with what we can.”
Hoping to take the family’s success many years into the future, in spite of the still uncertain times, Roshil says, “We are trying different things to see what works. We are still figuring it out. It has been a great experience to be a business owner in Petaluma. It’s great community. First of all, it is beautiful. Very quiet. Very nice. The people are very generous and supportive.That is really appreciated because they are not just supporting a business, but they are helping a family behind it.”
Sharing one the greatest complements a family can give to a community, Roshil, who still currently lives in Santa Rosa, concluded by saying, “As we look into the future, we are planning to move here. My brother and I have decided Petaluma would be a great place to raise our families — when we have them.”