More than a decade after Sadananda Maiya moved away from the legendary MTR restaurant business, he is now back in the restaurant business in a different avataar. He has recently started a restaurant almost on the same lines as MTR in Bangalore named - Maiyas Restaurant. According to information available, the cuisine is also almost the same as MTR.
While Maiya himself was not available for comment, Hemamalini Maiya, who is current owner of MTR restaurant offered not to comment. Ms Maiya is the niece of Sadananda Maiya. Industry information indicate that Sadanand Maiya has started this restaurant at BTM Layout in his son’s name - Sudarshan Maiya.
It may be recalled that Sadananda Maiya and Hemamalini Maiya had an understanding between them that each of them will not get into the business of each other’s at the time of the split in family business. This is the second time around that Mr Maiya is trying his hand in the restaurant business. As part of his MTR Foods business, he had opened ‘Namma MTR’ which was offering a range of dishes besides selling the entire range of ready to eat packs.
“This was not as successful as it was intended to be and had to be closed down,” a source close to Mr Maiya said. Recently, Sadananda Maiya had closed down the restaurant business at his company (MTR Foods) outlet, Namma MTR, on K R Road in South Bangalore. However, he continues to sell MTR ice-cream at this outlet.
Sadananda Maiya is starting this new restaurant more than a year after he sold majority stake in his instant foods business to Norway based Orkla Foods in a deal valued at around Rs 300 crore.
People who have visited this new restaurant say that the taste and the menu is almost the same with couple of additions, in an attempt to expand its customer base. “Even the weekly day off - Monday, is the same as MTR,” a connoisseur of MTR restaurant said, who recently visited the new outlet.
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The new outlet can seat around 130 people and has been started at a time when MTR restaurant is working on plans to expand its customer base by setting up satellite units at shopping malls in Bangalore.
In these interesting developments, a hardcore MTR fan stands to gain as one gets more than one option to savour the delicious taste, which has been the signature for food lovers in Bangalore.