Hospitality and Entrepreneurial Spirit in Sonoma County by Sonu Chandi
Our speaker for October 2, 2025 was Sonu Chandi, founder of the Chandi Hospitality Group (CHG). Sonu is a restauranteur, developer, and all-around entrepreneur historically focusing his talents on developing and operating restaurants in Northern California and India. He started his career when he bought a Mountain Mike’s Pizza Rohnert Park store. CHG now owns or franchises Mountain Mike’s restaurants throughout Northern California. CHG’s operations have also expanded to other, original, restaurants, and to real estate development projects. Sonu is a graduate of San Francisco State University and has worked in real estate development and restaurant operations for 17 years.
Sonu was born in a small village in Punjab, India and moved to the U.S. when he was almost 16. He couldn’t speak English although he could read and write it. His first job was as a courtesy clerk at an Albertson’s. His dream was to own and operate a business and in 2007 he purchased the Mountain Mike’s in Rohnert Park. He worked from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day building that business. His brother joined him in 2008. They bought a 2nd Mountain Mike’s store in 2008 and in 2015 took over the Mountain Mike’s development rights for 5 Northern California counties. From 2013 to 2016, CHG tried to develop other restaurants in Sonoma County, but became too entrepreneurial and eventually had to close some of those efforts, including Stout Brothers and Bibi’s Burger Bar. CHG has expanded to India for restaurants and for the back office work for all of its operations. CHG is also working on real estate projects, including a mixed use commercial and residential project with 48-60 units.
Sonu has an entrepreneurial spirit. He says: “Dream Big, Start Small.” The key traits of a successful entrepreneur are innovation, resilience, commitment, and networking. An example of resilience was the destruction of a Mountain Mike’s store on Cleveland Ave. He rebuilt down the street, doubling the size of the restaurant! Having a family behind the business is also key; his brother and wife, and even his two children, are actively involved. And, persistence pays off!
Thank you, Sonu, for the wonderful presentation. Good luck with all of your upcoming and future endeavors!
Click HERE to view a limited time recording of Sonu's presentation.
