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Our Heritage |
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Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, known more popularly as MTR, was started in 1924. It was set up near Lalbagh Fort by two brothers, Yajnanarayana Maiya and Ganappayya Maiya who came down from a place called Parampalli, near Udupi. In 1936 Ganappayya Maiya decided to go back to Parampalli and Yajnanarayana Maiya assumed full charge of the restaurant. It was originally called ‘Brahmin's Coffee House', but the name was changed when it was shifted to a bigger premises in 1960.
In 1950,Yajnarayana Maiya undertook a European tour to see for himself how restaurants in other parts of the world functioned. The cleanliness and hygiene
there opened his eyes. He resolved that MTR would adhere to the same standard of cleanliness. He distributed small booklets on health, proper eating habits
and recipes. He introduced the system of sterilization of kitchen items. He also introduced the system of opening up the kitchen to the scrutiny of any customer
who was interested. In fact, for a long time customers entered the restaurant through the kitchen so that by default they saw with their own eyes the
hygienic methods of food preparation.
In 1968 Yajnanarayana Maiya passed away and the reins of the restaurant was taken over by his nephew, Harishchandra Maiya. Yajnanarayana Maiya’s son,
Sadananda Maiya also joined in a few years later.
In 1976, when the Emergency was declared, the government called five of the most well known restaurants in the city – including MTR – and told them that
they had to reduce the prices of the food at their restaurants according to government approved rates, to bring it within the reach of the common man.
The prices of the items were to be the same in all the restaurants. Some restaurants paid up, others started compromising on the quality. MTR did neither.
MTR kept the quality of the food as high as ever and put up a board stating the losses for the day outside the restaurant. MTR continued in this way
for 16 days. On the 16th day it closed down. During this time, MTR opened a small departmental store next to the hotel and started making and selling
mixes for rava idli and other items. The restaurant opened again once the Emergency was lifted.
In 1994 the company split into two divisions. The packaged food business was taken over by Sadanand Maiya and the restaurant was continued by
Harishchandra Maiya. MTR Foods, the packaged food division was sold to Orkla of Norway in 2007. Today the MTR restaurant still stands in the
same place it did 50 years ago. In 1999 Harishchandra Maiya passed away and the business was taken over by his eldest daughter, Hemamalini Maiya.
There is a sweets and an egg-free bakery division as well. There is also a sandwich parlor next to the hotel.
The restaurant opened its first branch in 2004, a small fast food outlet near Sheshadripuram in Bangalore. Thereafter, two more branches have opened in
Bangalore – a full fledged restaurant in Rajajinagar and one in Hebbal.
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