Military hotels survive fast food boom, win over IT crowd

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept of military hotels, we will fill you in on the details. First off, military hotels, unlike their names are not run by the armed forces but share a close association only in name.

 

There was a time in Bengaluru when eating non-veg food was frowned upon. The military had easy access to non-veg food and that too at cheap prices. But when the common people wanted a fix of non-vegetarian food, they had only fancy restaurants to look up to. That is when small non-vegetarian hotels sprung up under the tag militry secretly announcing that one would get such food here. It soon became a synonymous with non-vegetarian food. So anyone who wanted cheap, affordable, non-vegetarian food, they could come here.  

 

You will find them mostly in Cottonpet, Jayanagar and Malleshwaram areas of the city. They serve Bangalore-style military food. Also one needs to notice the spelling of the word military which in this case is spelt 'militry'.  Now you will also find military hotels with the tag Hindu Miltry hotel to claim they do not serve beef and pork like they do in the army but stick to plain old non-veg dishes.

 

 

Despite many fast food joints and big non-vegetarian hotels mushrooming all over the city in past few decades, the tiny military hotels that use to offer traditional non-vegetarian food, survived not only the competition but also pulled the attention of IT crowd.

 

Narsim Reddy owner of Venkateshwara Military hotel in Jayanagar remarks with pride how his hotel will be completing 50 years on January 14. “ In the last 50 years we have seen sea-change in the city but the Military hotels have managed to survive. We make all our preparation only through firewood. This enhances taste. In the non vegetarian food business, only the taste can pull the crowd and we offer that. Because of our traditional method of cooking non-vegetarian food like Mutton Paya, Keema Balls, Chicken Fry, Chicken Curry, Mutton Roast, Mutton Chops and Ragi Balls, it is preferred not only by Kannadigas but across all sections and even IT crowds loves to come here," said Reddy.

 

 

He also lets in that superstar Rajinikanth use to be a regular visitor when he was conductor attached to Jayanagar Depot. "Rajinikanth preferred to eat Ragi Balls along with Mutton Chops. He came a few years ago and had food here, but we could not recognise him as he wore old clothes and  wore a cap. When he boarded his car we came to know that he was Raijni," recalls Reddy.

 

Similarly, Chandru Nimma Mane a Militry hotel on Race Course Road has completed 25 years as a non-vegetarian hotel. The owner Chandrashekhar who has opened another branch at BEL Road says, the militry hotel concept never fails as it offers homely food. "This name military attached to all these hotels is because non-vegetarian food is supplied like in military camps. But it has the home feeling. The spicy non-vegetarian food is very affordable for all the sections of people.”

 

As his hotel is located in a posh locality, the customers from  IT and other surrounding business centres prefer to have lunch here. As long as the food is affordable, clean and has taste, none can beat these hotels.