The doors of Singh’s Roti Delight open to the tangy scent of pepper sauce and a waft of Indo-Caribbean spices, while various televisions hanging on eggshell white and red-patterned walls stream live cricket matches and news channels. Customers form a long line at the counter as the staff takes their orders, asking, “How spicy would you like it?,” and “Would you like that to go?” The hum of patrons dining in mixes with the thrum of Chutney music through their speakers, creating an atmosphere that feels just like home for many of Lauderhill’s tropical immigrants.
“It’s not just a place to eat. It’s supposed to be a place where you trust us with your body and your mind,” said Praveen Singh, the co-owner of Singh’s. “You enjoy the food and you feel like you’re in the islands, [having] a taste of the Caribbean.”
Located at 4301 N State Rd 7, Singh’s Roti Delight serves authentic Caribbean cuisine to a thriving immigrant community filled with Trinidadians, Jamaicans, Guyanese and others. Owned by Praveen and her husband, Urdan Singh, the family-run restaurant is approaching its 15th year in business and has quickly taken over the hearts of all the locals because of their food and hospitality.
Both come from business families from Cunupia, a vibrant and bustling city in central Trinidad known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse cuisine. 6-year-old Urdan and his family moved to North Lauderdale in 1988, but occasionally returned to their hometown to visit.
Their love story began 10 years later at a Hindu temple in Cunupia, when Urdan’s family hosted a religious ceremony and met Praveen, also 16, the temple’s youth leader. After dating for five years, they married in 2003 and Praveen immigrated to North Lauderdale. A year later, their son Nikhil was born, and in 2007, their second son, Nakeesh, followed. The couple relocated to Georgia for a year before moving back to North Lauderdale in 2008.
In August 2010, Praveen and Urdan opened Singh’s Roti Delight, taking over a failing roti shop in Lauderdale Lakes with hopes of becoming self-sufficient business owners.
At the time, Urdan repaired and inspected low-voltage fire alarm equipment for the technology corporation, Siemens. Meanwhile, Praveen worked as an accounts payable and receivable clerk for a transport company, and a service technician for a change machine company.
After rebranding the failed roti shop, however, Praveen quit her jobs to focus on Singh’s, while Urdan still worked full-time.
“We had two little kids, so my husband held his full-time job,” Praveen said. “His paycheck would take care of the house and some of the bills at the roti shop while we built on the business.”
There were plenty of obstacles: The space, designed for takeout, could only fit a few tables, and hiring staff was financially difficult.
“We would have to do as much as we can by ourselves,” Praveen recalled.
But the pair attribute the early stages of their success to their families, who stepped in to help the business run smoothly. Praveen’s mother and siblings lent a hand, while Urdan’s family, who lives nearby, spent every week at the restaurant despite their own full-time jobs.
“They helped peel potatoes, cash out [customers], stock fridges,” Urdan said. “They all grew with the business, so they saw how it prospered with all of us working together.”
Urdan quit his job at Siemens seven years ago once Singh’s was on stable ground. His family still helps around the shop on weekends.
In early 2022, the couple moved into a larger space at Oakland Shopping Center, across from their old location, to accommodate more seating. Along with serving customers, Singh’s caters and rents the restaurant for small functions like baby showers and graduation parties.
The roti shop also hosts events with West Indian artists like Arianna Thackurdeen, Kavita Ramkissoon and Tony Cuttz free of charge for customers.
“It’s to keep the culture alive,” said Praveen. “They’re customer appreciation days. We try to give them a taste of what’s going on in the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago.”
One of their bestsellers is doubles, which sells for $2.50. The dish is a popular street food from Trinidad and Tobago where curried chickpeas topped with pepper sauce and other chutneys are sandwiched between pillowy, soft fried flat dough, also known as bara. Praveen says her doubles are such a hit due to its popularity in Trinidad and their family recipes.
“We purchase the [ingredients] directly out of Trinidad. We don’t just use anything that’s available on the shelf,” she says. “We make [the food] our own.”
Another popular item is their bake and shark, $14.50, where seasoned shark meat is sandwiched between two pieces of fluffy and airy fried flatbread.
“We try to keep the food a little more organic,” Urdan added. “We cook vegan and vegetarian dishes separate from meat dishes. We can’t [become] a full vegan restaurant, but we try to cater to both sides.”
Customers who immigrated from the Caribbean often say the food at Singh’s reminds them of home.
Britannia Mosely is a Broward Community College student of Bahamian heritage who started going to Singh’s because of a friend’s recommendation. She lives in Hollywood, nearly an hour away, but doesn’t mind making the drive for their doubles.
“I like the authenticity of the food,” said Mosely. “Certain places you’ll go, it says that it’s from this specific country or this specific culture. And in reality, it’s not. But with Singh’s, it doesn’t taste like they’re trying too hard or their food is fake.”
Chan Samaroo, a Sunrise resident who immigrated from Trinidad in 1990, has been a customer at Singh’s for at least five years.
“I think the food is excellent compared to Trinidad’s style,” said Samaroo. “And at Singh’s, a waiter would come around to your table and serve you. That makes it distinguished.”
While the initial struggles might be over, the restaurant still faces challenges.
“Costs keep going up, the profit margin is very [low], and keeping staff is also an issue,” said Praveen. “You can’t do long vacations or even a decent vacation because you have to be there to do as much as you can.”
But staff at the family-friendly roti shop enjoy what they do. Nirmala Singh-Sookoo, Urdan’s sister, works part-time and says helping out at Singh’s for the past 15 years taught her determination.
“It’s very long hours and demanding,” said Singh-Sookoo. “But the reward is seeing the success. You’re seeing your culture carry on, too.”
Nikhil, the son of Praveen and Urdan, now works at the restaurant and turns 21 this year. Growing up in the family business and watching his parents run the restaurant, he says, was both rewarding and challenging. But he calls the past 15 years a success story.
“Something I reflect on is our journey,” Nikhil says, “knowing that the family took what was once a failing business and brought it back and expanded it into what we have now.”
Looking back at their business, the couple says persistence was a major factor to their success.
“You have to have drive to get up and get going every day,” says Praveen. “You have to be steadfast in everything that you do.”
