We have been served meals on train journeys, but how about a train serving you food? That’s what you get to experience at Platform 65. This restaurant servesfood on miniature trains that run on tables. Opened about four months ago, the restaurant has been drawing people for its theme and experience.
Stepping into the restaurant feels like arriving at a railway station. An engine wagon is placed right at the entrance, while illustrations of some popular places of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana adorn the walls. Here, each table is named after a station. The dining experience is akin to eating inside a comfortable carriage.
I take a seat at the Bhimavaram ‘station’. Despite being the middle of the week, the place seems quite packed. Quickly glancing through the long menu, I order some kebabs. It doesn’t take long for the lights on my table to turn green, announcing the arrival of my train. A minute later, a miniature blue engine chugs into the table along with two wagons carrying my chicken malai kebab and fish tikka. A little girl sitting at the Rajahmundry ‘station’ adjacent to my table looks at the train in wonder with a smile on her face.
The Hyderabad-based restaurant chain started its first branch at Kukatpally Housing Board Colony in Hyderabad in November 2019. Cashing in on people’s love for train journeys, the chain expanded into five other locations in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and plans to add five more branches by the end of the year.
“It took us six months of research and planning to bring in novelty in an over-saturated F&B market. Trains hold a universal appeal and we wanted to give that experience while offering a variety of multi-cuisine dishes on the menu,” says Sadgun Patha, co-founder of Platform 65.
The menu offers South Indian, North Indian and Chinese dishes and features local favourites like gongura mutton pulao, Andhra chicken curry, ulavacharu pulao, Nellore chepala pulusu and favourites such as schezwan noodles, chicken and veg soft noodles. The restaurant has a separate children’s menu offering wok tossed chicken balls, honey finger chips, tandoor cheese stuffed mushroom, butter garlic prawn, cheese broccoli, rock chicken fried rice and classic mushroom, among others. “We are in the process of adding more dishes to the children’s menu,” says Dhana Lakshmi, executive director of Platform 65’s Visakhapatnam branch. The interiors showcase the waterways theme with popular locations of Kerala, Venice and Amsterdam. Local spots like the Bheemunipatnam lighthouse are also featured. The restaurant has a 180-seater arrangement including enclosed 10-seater areas for small gatherings or private parties. Each table is attached to the railway track that starts from the kitchen. Once the food is prepared, it is delivered to the table through the trains. After the food is picked up on the table, the train returns to the kitchen.
The restaurant chain so far has operated in the franchisee-owned and company-operated model. It will be opening its Bengaluru branch in the first week of June which will run in the franchisee-owned-and-operated model. According to Patha, the technology-powered mechanisms have been designed and developed by the inhouse engineering team. “There were initial hiccups, but our technical team has constantly provided backend support to iron out challenges in the functioning of the train,” he adds. In a week’s time, Platform 65’s app will be functional from Visakhapatnam wherein people can make table reservations and also place home delivery orders.
