| The legendary MTR restaurant in Bangalore, which has been operating from a single location for the past eight decades in the south of the city, is going places. Its management is planning to set up MTR outlets in the food courts in various shopping malls in Bangalore.
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| Bangalore, now well-known for its devotion to the culture of eating out, got the first taste of it from Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. Today, visitors turn to it foremost for an authentic taste of Karnataka’s cuisine.
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| Said Hemamalini Maiya, managing partner, Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, “We are expanding but will be selective on where to house our outlets. As a first step, we will open our outlet in a mall which is coming up on Bellary Road, north of Bangalore. Let’s see how this develops and then we will gradually expand further.”
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| She added that MTR wants to cash in on the significant number of footfalls the various malls in the city attract.
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| This move by MTR, a household name in the city, will be watched closely, especially after the unsuccessful attempt earlier by MTR Foods, run by another branch of the family, to set up eateries across the city.
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| This decision to expand to various locations in Bangalore comes close on the heels of MTR’s move to explore the option of setting up an outlet in Kolkata.
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| “We are in talks with a couple of people who are known to our family and they will be the front-end. The entire kitchen management and quality control will be with us,” Maiya added.
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| In addition to plans to take this famous brand pan-India, Hemamalini Maiya is also keen to take it global, if the initial few steps prove successful.
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| Bangalore foodies feel it will not be easy for MTR to succeed within shopping malls. The famed restaurant is absolutely traditional in look and feel, the waiters dressed like helps in traditional households. On the other hand, mall food courts are modern and western in their culture.
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| Besides, MTR’s USP has been the superb quality of its food served at modest prices. This has been possible as it is housed in its traditional home.
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| Floor space in malls will not come cheap. MTR will certainly be able to raise prices but by how much? |
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