If we change, then we are like anybody else: Hemamalini Maiya

In a city like Bengaluru which constantly rein vents itself, old restaurants survive by refusing to change. For me, this resistance comes from clarity about who we are, what we stand for, and why people continue to come back. If you walk into the old MTR restaurant today, you’ll notice that nothing has really changed, and it’s a conscious choice. In a city that is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan, I believe histor ic eateries endure because they offer something deep ly reassuring: a sense of rootedness. Even someone new to Bengaluru with no personal history with the city, looks for spaces that feel connected to its past. Old restaurants be come emotional anchors. They help people locate themselves in the city’s cultural fab ric. There is a com mon assumption that legacy restau rants feel pressure to modernise or re invent themselves to stay relevant. We never really felt that pressure. In fact, many old res taurants share this belief. The tempta tion to chase newer formats or younger audiences always ex ists, but the moment we give in to it, we lose what makes us different.

Not reinventing our selves is the USP. That is where the old-world charm comes from. It isn’t created through branding exercises or curated nostalgia; it comes from consistency. The way we function, the way we cook, the way we present our selves has remained the same for decades. Recipes are not tweaked, processes are not hurried, and traditions are not simplified for convenience. Every recipe remains exactly as it was. Everything is still made from scratch. Even our suppliers — those who provide our milk, pulses, and ingredients — have often been with us for genera tions. That continuity matters more than any new idea. I also recognise that instinctive cooks are becoming rar er today. Many people enter kitchens for livelihood and growth, rather than passion. To maintain consistency, we rely on carefully prepared base masalas. Teaching a new generation to roast masalas every single day will inevita bly lead to variation, and for us, consistency is everything. Despite the constantly evolving food scene, I am not con cerned about reaching younger generations. Good food speaks for itself. It cuts across age groups. We have never re lied on visibility or aggressive promotion. Word of mouth has always been enough. We don’t try to make ourselves too visible — and that, too, is intentional.

The real challenge we face today has little to do with food and everything to do with space. Real estate pressure in Bengaluru is enormous, and historic eateries are not im mune to it. Watching neighbouring landmarks disappear is difficult. But this is a reality we must confront. Staying focused on retaining our restaurants and holding on to what we stand for is the only way forward. In a city that never stops changing, staying the same is not easy. But sometimes, it is the most radical choice you can make.