You may have seen and dined in restaurants in malls. But have you seen a mall inside a restaurant?
With many restaurants offering similar cuisines nowadays, the ambience, décor and architecture of a restaurant have become equally important to add to the customer experience. In many big cities and metros, restaurateurs have come up with whacky themes for their eateries -- from prison cell to UFOs, Irish pubs to stock exchange, jungle and animal kingdom to cable car and train. But one would hardly expect to find them in small towns.
But there is a surprise standing in small town Virudhunagar, the birth place of freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K.Kamaraj. The town’s oldest and one of the most decent eateries, the Burma Kadai, famous for taking the ubiquitous maida parottas to a new level, has undergone a complete makeover.
Remodelling according to the different taste of the new generation is essential to remain on top, says Shaktivel Velusamy, the man behind the new look Burma kadai on the Municipal Office Road. Just whipping up tasty food and decorating the platter are passé, he says. “Dining has become more of a journey of experience today and the ambience contributes a lot to its making,” he adds.
So what made him choose the mall theme for his shop – the third outlet of Burma Kadai – which till last summer was like any other ordinary and small restaurant by the road side. Today, it stands apart.
Shaktivel says ever since INOX entered Madurai, the nearest big town 45 km away, the movie watching experience has been redefined for people from all surrounding districts. And he himself being a movie buff, he thought of giving his restaurant the ‘multiplex’ look. “And it is a big thing for Virudhunagar,” he assures.
So Burma Kadai becomes Burma cinemas as you step in to both look at and eat the treat on offer. Brightly lit up foam flex boards announce the Box office hits on one side of the restaurant. “Now showing” posters of Rajnikant in Enthiran and James Bond Daniel Craig in Skyfall are separated by fake doors to the auditorium that say screen 1 and screen 2!
When children come to eat here, they get very curious and want to enter through the door thinking real cinema screening is going on inside, laughs Shaktivel, happy that his imagery and creation is so real-perfect. At one corner is the SUBWAY counter which has the superbly imitated billboard of the famous sandwich chain. On the other side of the restaurant is the coffee corner and the centre seats are laid out as in a food court.
This is only a theme restaurant, clarifies Shaktivel, to up the attraction value for customers. The menu is the old one and traditional still because, he says, he does not have to really worry about changing it given the immense popularity of his ennai parottas.
So while you sit inside the remodelled Burma Kadai now, you feel you are waiting to watch a movie at a multiplex but your taste buds are satiated by the mouth-watering and artery-clogging crisply fried in ghee the flaky parottas soaked in super delicious chicken or mutton curry – and not popcorn with coke or pepsi!
You will always find customers waiting to tear into these parottas, says Shaktivel. It is for them he opens at 6 a.m. and runs till midnight also serving different types of biryanis, chicken chops, fish roast or mutton chukka varuval along with idlis and variety of dosai. Different types of parottas are also available at Burma Kadai but the ennai parotta has been topping the chart for more than two decades now, he informs.
With his clutter free and clean design, Shaktivel also wants to keep his restaurant budget friendly for the majority. “If I maintain my high level of service and quality of food at an affordable cost for the people, I don’t have to worry about the numbers,” he says.
Those who want to be a part of a nice comfortable hassle-free Cineplex will enjoy the new look Burma Kadai. And its reliable menu is always there like a bonus.
On June 29 when the refurbished outlet completes a year, Shaktivel has plans to surprise his loyal and new customers with some surprise festivals that he wouldn’t want to reveal now.
For enquiries and other details, dial 04562-247004
