“There was a time when celebrities like Uday Kiran, Prabhas and many other movie artists had come to taste our tiffin. I remember being at the counter and suddenly, people gathered in groups because they spotted film actors were here! They used to be seated in their cars and their PA’s would come to us to take the tiffins. That’s just one of the big days – we’ve had many artists and dancers also come to our tiffin stall.

When my father started this more than 38 years ago, he never expected it to be the kind of hit is it now. We started small with just sambar idli, upma and today we sell all the varieties of breakfast maintaining the same authentic taste and quality.

Our tiffin centre – Pragathi Tiffins was in fact named after the famous Pragathi Mahavidyalaya and the credit goes to our dear customers themselves. This place is the main hangout spot for the students and many other office goers in this area. This is our only source of income and there wasn’t a better way than make delicious tiffins that we’re good at. Today, we serve the best of dosas, sambar idlis, mysore bondas and vadas for our patrons.

Over the years, the only thing that has changed is the demand for fusion dishes like Cheese and schezwan items. Back in the day, people preferred coconut chutney and sambar. Whether it’s authentic or fusion dishes, we always have been consistent with our quality and that’s why people still come back to us (laughs).”