In the year 1920, three brothers named Parameshwara Maiya, Ganappayya Maiya, and Yagnanarayana Maiya, from a small village called Parampalli in Udupi District, left home to escape poverty and came to Bangalore. Like many others of their caste, the brahmin brothers knew how to cook. Parameshwara found employment in a wealthy Indian judge’s home as a cook. The judge assisted Parameshwara and his brother Ganappayya in setting up a tiny eatery selling coffee and tiffin items in one of Bangalore’s lavish areas, Lalbagh Fort Road. In 1924, they started with Brahmin’s Coffee Club, which grew in reputation.
Parameshwara died five years after setting up the business, and the youngest brother, Yagnanarayana, took over. He proved to be an excellent restaurateur who was busy building the business and the brand and the eatery grew so popular that wealthy Indians started talking about it too by stopping by for car service, to pick up food in their cars, or sending their chauffeurs over for it.
The client base had expanded and had reached its heights by the time India gained independence. Around the 1950s quarter-century after the coffee club had been set up, Mr Yagnanarayana, who was heading the business, started thinking of making it bigger. Hence, the brothers bought a piece of land near the original eatery and started building a restaurant. Their thoughts have now turned into a brand, and so in 1960, Mavalli Tiffin Room, commonly known as MTR which was named after the locality where it was situated, opened and stands to this day at Lalbagh Road.
MTR has been serving Karnataka Brahmin food. For a long time, customers entered the restaurant through the kitchen, and the restaurant building comprises two floors. It has also been shown on television in the global global travel-related series, Globe Trekker. Cleanliness has become a brand value for MTR, one of the main reasons why the audience’s trust still rests.
As of 2021, MTR restaurant is currently headed by Hemamalini Maiya, Vikram Maiya, and Arvind Maiya, who are grandchildren of Yajnanarayana Maiya.
Origin Of Rava Idli
During World War II, when India was under emergency, there begins the origin of Rava Idli. Due to the rice shortage, making idlis was very difficult. So Mr Yajnanarayana, a professional cook, started experimenting with various ingredients and then made idlis from semolina instead of rice and thus invented the breakfast item of the Rava idli recipe.
Rava idli has become popular not just in Karnataka but also around the world. This idli is created from roasted semolina, mixed in sour curds and seasoned with mustard and curry leaves. After this, the idli is steamed, topped with cashew nuts and served with tangy coconut chutney, sambar or a vegetable kurma. Some versions also have tiny chopped pieces of beans, grated carrots or coconut and chopped coriander. The Rava idli feels lighter on the tummy and great on the palette. It does not have urad daal or rice, making it a healthy, savoury option. At that time, MTR’s invention was welcomed with open arms and the demand for this South Indian Tiffin item went soaring. Rava Idli is known for its simplicity and minimal complexity in cooking, its nutrition, and for its better taste. That was how Rava idli became a very popular dish, and its credit goes to MTR. Silver tumblers are used to serve beverages at MTR
Rava idli translates to semolina idli in the Kannada language. It is usually found in restaurants serving Udupi cuisine, served hot and to be eaten along with saagu and coconut chutney. A dash of ghee poured on top of Rava idli adds to the overall taste.
The original ingredient is still used. Rava idli is now made the same way as the original recipe is followed everywhere. The consistency has also been followed as the recipe was written down and handed over to the cooks over the years.
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 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 food quality 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 the year 1984. The success of Mavalli Tiffin Rooms is not credited to the emergence of Rava idlis alone. The art of leveraging opportunities as the business stepped further helped the restaurant become the top-rated and familiar MTR Foods.
To save the jobs when it was closed, MTR started selling spices and roasted flour mixes. That began its entry into the convenience and instant food business. Currently, the MTR brand represents two separate entities; the MTR restaurant business and MTR Foods, the pre-packaged food business.
In 1994, the MTR management decided to tackle the conundrums of these dividing interests by heading in two separate directions- the restaurant and and the packaged food chains as they have become two separate verticals of the business model.
Many of India’s food businesses have been built around Western and Chinese cuisines. Only pasta and noodles are talked about in the packaged food space. In the breakfast space, it is oats, Kellogg’s, etc. But MTR provides Indian breakfast options with Idli, Rava Idli, upma, and poha, among others. It also comprises of ready-to-eat range, vermicelli, spices & masalas, beverages, dessert mixes, confectionery, and pickles. While Haldirams celebrate North Indian snacks.
In the endeavour to grow, MTR required private equity funding in 2000 and 2003. The business grew, and the investors could exit. In 2007, Norwegian conglomerate Orkla bought MTR for $100 million which was one of the most talked-about acquisitions of the time.
Today, Mavalli Tiffin Rooms is present in 9 locations in Bangalore, 1 in Udupi, 1 in Singapore, 2 in Dubai, and 1 in Kuala Lumpur, while MTR Foods exports to a total of 32 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Middle- East, Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, and many others.
Author: Samra Zulekha, SDM Law College, Mangalore
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