Legacy Family Restaurants

Seeing the “family room” at the restaurant made me feel nostalgic. I reached the old restaurant by accident. After watching a movie, I was hungry. It was almost four in the afternoon. I wasn’t in the mood for a snack. I was too hungry. I was in the mood for a big meal.

I searched for open restaurants on Google and found a decent-looking one with a reasonable budget, and an amazing rating. That doesn’t happen every day, right? I followed the instructions on my phone, and ended up in front of an old restaurant in Royapettah.

The signage was missing some letters, the floor had old black and white tiles, and the chairs were made of wood coated with faded red laminate.

The place was nearly empty, with only one person occupying each four-person table. Some were enjoying Biriyani, and some, parotta salna.

I chose a table near the entrance and was approached by a waiter who was in his fifties. Since it was late, I asked what was available, and to my surprise he said everything on the menu was available. I glanced at the menu for a while and decided to order mutton Biriyani.

While waiting, I noticed two family rooms at the far end of the restaurant. Family rooms were a concept that existed in the past, when Chennai was still known as Madras. I’m sure it must’ve been a concept in other cities too.

Going to restaurants wasn’t a common thing back then. People mostly ate at home, and a visit to a restaurant was reserved only for special occasions. The restaurant crowd only consisted of working men, sales executives, courier boys, and bachelors. So, when families visited these “family restaurants”, they were shown to family rooms where they could enjoy their meals in privacy. These rooms are semi-private spaces built within the restaurant with a swing door.

It was a time when restaurants, big and small, anticipated the needs of their customers and built spaces for them to make them feel at home.

But, the concept had slowly vanished and is replaced by open space dining. Reason? Eating out is no longer just for special occasions. It has become a regular affair for families. Additionally, restaurants want people to spend less time at their tables to accommodate the next customer.

Before the smell of the mutton biriyani diverted my attention, I felt nostalgic for one last time, thinking about the family rooms that reminded me of a past where going to a restaurant felt like going on a vacation.