How Rameshwaram Cafe became favourite food joint for those craving authentic South Indian delicacies in Bengaluru

Husband-wife pair Raghavendra Rao and Divya Raghavendra Rao founded the cafe in 2021. Rao is a former mechanical engineer graduate with over 20 years of experience in the food industry. He is also the founder and promoter of IDC Kitchen – a chain of veg South Indian restaurants- and heads operations at Rameshwaram Cafe.

Meanwhile, Divya is a qualified chartered accountant and is also a postgraduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, in finance and management. She is also a managing committee member of the Bangalore branch of the South Indian Regional Council of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). She has over 12 years of experience and heads the management and finance department at the cafe.

The founders’ dream was to launch the cafe as a premium pure vegetarian South Indian chain of QSR which became a reality three years ago with the successful launch of two outlets in Bengaluru, starting with Indiranagar. They chose the name ‘Rameshwaram’ to pay tribute to scientist and former president of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as it was his birthplace.

While the popular 12th Main Road in Indiranagar was once known for its high-end pubs and luxury dining restaurants, with the inception of Rameshwaram Cafe, Bengaluru residents found a new address for authentic South Indian cuisine.

The cafe has received equal positive and critical reviews from customers. While some call it an ‘adda for South Indian delicacies’, others believe the offerings don’t match up to the hype it creates.

“The authenticity comes from the uniform cooking style followed across all their outlets. For example, the ven pongal is cooked in bell metal, which enhances the flavour and gives an experience of the kind of Pongal offered in temples in South India,” said Naveen Suresh, a Benglauru-based food blogger.

“The chutney is heavy on coconut, reflecting the Karnataka style, while the sambhar is thick and loaded with veggies, reflecting the Tamil Nadu style. The blend of these factors and its aesthetic appeal made the cafe popular,” added Suresh.

According to reports, Rameshwaram Cafe earns nearly Rs 50 crore annually, with a market valuation pegged at Rs 18,000 crore. Besides serving in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar, Rajajinagar, JP Nagar and Brookefield, the founders have recently opened a cafe in Hyderabad. They are keen to open branches in cities such as Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and even Dubai.

As for the blast on Friday, the preliminary investigation by the Bengaluru city police indicated that a suspect, aged around 30, had abandoned a bag consisting of low-intensity explosives in the hand wash area of the restaurant. The IED exploded at 12.56 pm and nine people suffered injuries in the blast which was marked by a loud sound, fire and smoke but was restricted to the area where the bag was placed.

The founders have reportedly admitted that their employees had earlier handed over unclaimed bags left behind by customers at their cafe in other branches to police officials.