Monday, August 26, 2024

Kamat Lokaruchi - A Must Pitstop On Your Next Road Trip To Mysore, Ooty Or Coorg



 
By Manu Sharma

A road trip conjures excitement, the vibe of thrill & adventure but evokes concern about where we can stop for food and a pitstop, is an essential part of traveling. Pitstop planning is an essential part of the travel planning process. The next time you are planning a trip to Mysore or Ooty from Bangalore and traveling on the NH275 (Bangalore-Mysore Expressway) make the journey enjoyable by dropping in at the Kamat Lokaruchi, a heritage themed Garden Restaurant serving traditional ethnic cuisine from North, South & Coastal Karnataka.

Located in Ramanagara which is well known for its sericulture, and nicknamed Silk City and located about 50 Kilometres from Bangalore.  It is also an ideal destination to stop en route to Ooty, Bandipur, Madhumalai hills, Nagarhole, Coorg and other tourist spots. 

At the Kamat Lokaruchi tourists are served sumptuous and tasty food in a large and spacious restaurant.  It's part of the famous Kamat Yatrinivas Ltd chain of premium hotels, restaurants, wayside drive-in facilities. They also do Institutional & Industrial catering in Karnataka.

Akashrai Kamat, COO of Kamat Yatri Nivas Ltd says, "I am a third generation entrepreneur and continue my father's business in the hospitality and food industry.  The Lokaruchi is located on an 18 acre land belonging to Janapada Loka or folk culture, folk museum that has an exclusive display of the village folk arts of Karnataka. We are in fact also promoting the Janapada Loka as tour packages. The land is allocated by the state government and since 1995, we have been tenants in this campus."

Akashrai is the grandson of Sri R. P. Kamat, founder & pioneer of Kamat Restaurants in India with the support of his elder brother Sri Subbrai Kamat. "Most of the hotels and restaurants that are spread across the country with the name 'Kamat' are owned by my cousins, but operate separately" he remarks.

Kamat Yatrinivas has a network of 10 outlets spread over a wider geographical area and even in remote locations in Karnataka. "This enables us to provide catering services to all kinds of needs with focus on giving top quality vegetarian food and quick service. Word of mouth by our patrons has been our most preferred and successful form of publicity to get volumes thus ensuring maximum consumer satisfaction."

The company has also partnered with many travel firms including KSRTC, VRL, SRS, Arjun Travels among others They have made Kamat Lokaruchi as their pitstop both on their onward and return journeys.

Kamat's other businesses include Kamat Premium Budget Hotels, Kamat Food Plazas, Kamat City Restaurants, Kamat Wayside Drive-in Facilities and Kamat Institutional & Industrial Catering. They also cater to events like Weddings, Engagements, Receptions, Get-Togethers and many other occasions through Outdoor catering and at Banquet/ Conference Halls at the Hotels.

Ramanagara Silk City

Ramanagara which is well known for its sericulture, nicknamed Silk City is located about 50 kilometres from Bangalore The silk produced in this region forms the input for the famous Mysore Silk. Ramanagara is the largest market for silk cocoons in Asia.  The famous Bollywood movie Sholay was filmed here in 1975 in the surrounding hills of Ramanagara now called Ramagiri hills but also has the nickname of Sholay hills.

Kamat Yatrinivas Expects Double Digit Growth in FY25

The company registered a revenue of Rs 45 crore in FY 2022-23 and grew organically over the years. The company expects high double digit growth during the current fiscal mainly due to the addition of 10 new branches in the next 3 years. With the peak tourist season beginning in October and ending in March, we are expecting a bumper year for tourism with a 50% rise in arrivals compared to 2023.  

The COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the world economy and triggered a large crisis in the tourism sector as well  However, now the tourism in Karnataka is back to normal and tourists are spending big on travel and food. According to industry reports, more than 40 lakh tourists visited the century-old Mysore city during the 2023-24 financial year, creating a new record. During pre-Covid tourism heydays, the highest-ever tourist footfall was logged at 38.6 lakh during 2017-18.

Kamat Business Strategy 

Kamat Yatrinivas Group is focused on businesses that generate a  steady income or profit.  Kamat Yatrinivas will continue to focus on our main successful businesses including:

1. Kamat Buglerock - Located near Basavanagudi's popular Bugle Rock (a massive natural rock formation which is believed to be 3,000 million years old). Lending the place a village-like ambience, the decor includes seating arrangements around a spacious courtyard. Spread across three floors, Kamat Bugle Rock has a choice of South Indian, North Indian and Indian Chinese in their menu. 

2. Kamat Lokaruchi - Located at a convenient distance from Bangalore and Mysore. Hygienic tasty south Indian /Karnataka food. Nice ambience, playground for children, modest shopping, adjoining museum Janapada Loka - all these make a visit to this place a unique experience.

3. Kamat Upachar, Sira - Located near Tumkur. Sira was politically and militarily an important region of south India prior to the British Raj. It has emerged as a good place for a quick stop during long drives. Decent food with authentic taste, especially the Jolada rotti and North Indian thali. It also offers ample parking space.

"We are focusing on these three restaurants to drive our growth this financial year. Currently we see a 8-15% growth in these places and contribute Rs 3-4 crore to our annual turnover. Besides our expansion in Bidar, Ilkar (Hospet) and our second restaurant in Mysore should also contribute to our growth," he adds.

Catering to Major Industries and Corporates

Kamat Institutional & Industrial Catering has been one of the priority sectors for Kamat Yatrinivas. We have been operating cafeterias at campuses of companies like Infosys, HCL, VMWare for many years. We have also catered to companies like Wipro, Ingersoll Rand, TCS, Volvo Motors, TDPS and many more in the recent past.

"Our Kamat Upahaar caters to the Institutional and Industrial catering division with experience to satisfy all taste buds and avoid food fatigue by serving high quality food varieties in value pricing format for daily diners. We are also the official caters to the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) events and the Aero India, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition held in Bangalore, at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. It is organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence 

Besides also to several technology and business events held at the palace grounds in the city.

A Taste of Local Folk Artifacts

Janapada Loka - Located on the Bangalore – Mysore highway 4 km from Ramanagara. Janapada Loka or folk culture, folk museum that has an exclusive display of the village folk arts of Karnataka. It is under the aegis of the Karnataka Janapadaa Parishat. Loka Mahal, a wing in the museum, has a display of 5,000 folk artifacts. It is situated in Ramanagara district , on the south of Bangalore. H. L. Nage Gowda, an Indian civil servant and folklorist thought of creating a museum to exhibit the varied folk art and culture of Karnataka. Karnataka janapada parishat was first established on 21 march 1979. Folk arts museum, Loka Mahal, Chitra Kuteera, Doddamane, Shilamala, Arghyamala etc. The museum has a collection of 5,000 folk artifacts. The display includes an array of agriculture hunting and fishing implements, weapons, ingenious household gadgets, masks, dolls and shadow puppets.

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