India, Oct. 1 -- An Indian-origin entrepreneur who once worked as a waiter at a US restaurant has now bought the entire company, marking a remarkable rise from employee to owner.

Amol Kohli, 37, began working at a Friendly's outlet in Philadelphia in 2003 as a restless high school sophomore looking for pocket money. He earned about $5 an hour and juggled multiple roles, from cooking and dishwashing to busser and ice cream scooper, Kohli told CNBC Make It.

Now, two decades later, Kohli has added another title to his resume: Owner of Friendly's. On July 22, his investment group, Legacy Brands International, acquired Friendly's, along with its parent company Brix Holdings and six other restaurant chains, for an undisclosed amount. "This is...