This is a special year for the iconic landmark in Bengaluru, Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) as it completes 100 years of service in 2024. Popular for dishes like rava idli, masala dose and sweets like chandrahara and gulab jamun, the century-old restaurant continues to draw at least 2,000 people every day.
The restaurant was established by three brothers from Parampalli near Udupi district - Yagnanarayana Maiya, Ganappayya Maiya and Parameshwara Maiya - in 1924. At that time, MTR was just a small food joint on Lalbagh Fort Road and eventually, by 1960, it was relocated to the place where it currently is today. Most of the recipes served today at all the branches of MTR were the creation of Yagnanarayana Maiya.
The restaurant is currently run by third-generation Maiyas - Hemamalini Maiya, Vikram Maiya, Aravind Maiya and Priyadarshini Maiya. Even three generations later, the recipes at MTR remain untouched. Not just the owners, but even many employees at MTR are second or third generation employees.
Hemamalini, the managing partner of MTR, spoke to The Hindu about what has kept MTR relevant through a century, the logistical challenges involved in running a famous chain.
There is always a long queue outside MTR on Lalbagh Road. With so many people visiting every day, how do you manage the crowd and ensure that the experience remains pleasant for your customers?
It is a matter of how you manage the show. During lunch, between 12.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m., 500 people converge here. We try to make it as comfortable as possible for people to wait and we usually let them know at what time they can come. It is about making sure that no one waits for more than 30-45 minutes, except in some unavoidable circumstances. To avoid making them wait longer, we have increased the seating capacity to more than 200. The show goes on!
How many people are currently working in all the MTR restaurants?
We have 12 restaurants in India and seven abroad and there are more coming. We have around 600 people working in total. The main restaurant has nearly 100 employees as here they also work in shifts. At other places, it depends on the size and ranges between 30-60 employees.
How does the hiring process take place for restaurants abroad?
For the first few restaurants abroad, we sent staff from our kitchens here. But from the London branch onwards, where the challenge was getting visas, the franchisee found chefs who had experience and could get visas easily and trained them. Even for the U.S. restaurants, they found experienced chefs and hence the visa process was easy. We also trained them for six months here.
What about the availability of ingredients, which are essential to keep the taste in tact, in other countries too?
All the masalas go from here to each location. Ingredients like rice and dhals, especially urad dhal, must be of very good quality. We do a recce of the place and look at suppliers who can provide us with a steady supply of ingredients and choose the right ingredients. In the US, we did trials for a month. Ghee is always a challenge, but we have a source for that now who supplies it everywhere we go.
Supply is always a problem abroad. Sometimes there is a steady supply for a couple of months and then they suddenly run out of supply. We get in touch with their bosses here and get things done. But so far, it has been okay.
A century is a long time for a restaurant. What has changed or rather not changed that continues to keep MTR relevant to this day?
Our food has not changed even though our menu has become expansive. We do not compromise in terms of ingredients and our recipes have remained the same. MTR is known for certain things, and we stick to them and do not veer away and say we will do every new thing that comes along. We are very focussed on what we are all about and we stick to what we know. Basic integrity in doing business is what keeps us going. We are true to everything we do. There are no gimmicks here.
