It all started in 1989 when Founder Satish Shetty opened the first Shamiana Indian restaurant on Great North Road in New Lynn. There, he worked day and night honing his skills and perfecting recipes. After 10 years of failures, struggles, and small wins, Satish got an opportunity to open a store in the newly refurbished Lynn Mall shopping center food court. Satish moved quickly and borrowed $150,000 from the bank and opened the first Shamiana food court branch.

The result and feedback were fantastic. Realizing he was onto a good thing, Satish immediately signed up for two more leases at Westfield Downtown and Manukau Shopping Centers. This time, however, the banks were not willing to lend the extra money so Satish signed both leases, taking a leap of faith that he would find the money needed before his cheque was cashed.

By 2019, Satish had built an empire of 50 stores across New Zealand and Australia. Today, the Shamiana group employs over 170 employees across Australia and New Zealand.