JOIN USWhere quality and time are specialities
It was in the 1970s that the late Karigiri and his wife Shubha thought of setting up their own eatery. And Karigiri Refreshments came into being. The store located in Rajajinagar is managed by their son Gopi today along with Shubha. Operating from 7 am to 11 am, Karigiri Refreshments serves select but delicious items — Idli, Vada, Rice Bath and Khara Bath, to its loyal customers every morning. “When we first started, we used to serve only Idli, which used to cost 8 paise those days,” laughs Gopi. “Slowly, the other items were added to the list.”
If you thought the restaurant shuts shop post 11 am, then you are mistaken. The sweets and condiments shop opens as soon as the restaurant closes. “We have more than 80 sweets, including the traditional Karnataka sweets like Holige, Chiroti and Kajaya,” informs Gopi. Another best-selling sweet is the mouth-watering Jalebi, which costs Rs 150 per kilo.
The catering services of Karigiri Refreshments are extremely popular too. “We cater for marriages and other functions as well. The items on the menu for catering include North Indian and South Indian meals and are priced anywhere between Rs 80 and Rs 300,” says Gopi.
The place has also carved a niche for itself when it comes to condiments. Be it the Sambhar, Rasam, Puliyogare or Vangi Bath powders, the condiments of Karigiri mean quality.
“The recipes for these powders were devised by my father,” he recalls. Being a slice of old Bangalore, Karigiri Refreshments has a number of celebrities as part of its regular clientele like U R Ananthamurthy, Suresh Kumar, superstar Ravi Chandran and director Bhagawan. But why is the restaurant open only between 7 am and 11 am? “Time and quality are our specialities,” replies Gopi. “If we serve the same food the entire day, the quality will surely suffer.”
The prices of the eatables are highly reasonable. While the Idli costs Rs 5, Vada and coffee cost Rs 6. Khara Bath costs Rs 8 and Rice Bath is priced at Rs 15. The sweets like Holige and Chiroti cost Rs 8. “More than money, it’s the customer satisfaction, that is the most important to us,” feels Gopi. The breakfast at Karigiri Refreshments is open from 7 am to 11 am, while the sweets and condiments are sold between 11 am and 9 pm. Even the catering service operates at the same time. “On Sundays, we are open till 8 pm, while we are closed on Mondays,” informs Gopi.