Food Industry in India has seen many newcomers turn into icons and legends in due course of time with their vision and innovation.
South India is known for many such eminent individuals who have built an empire and left irreplaceable footprints in the industry. Some walk in it but few try to make new footprints for others to follow.
Believing that destiny is not in the stars to be held but within one’s hand, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, a charismatic second-generation businessman from Kerala is making a lot of heads turn with his TN 43 Chain of Restaurants in the last few months.
Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, the Chairman of TN 43 Chain of Restaurants has made a strong impact in the South Indian food industry in recent times, and his restaurants have become sensational hits.
TN 43 – A unique place to relish:
Places that offer delicious foods attract a huge number of customers fast, as word of the mouth travels at light speed. Mujeeb’s TN 43 Chain of Restaurants have been that kind of place that has attracted a large number of customers, who are mostly travellers. As of now, there are 24 restaurants from TN 43 Group, and a large number of these restaurants are located in Ooty, Coonoor, Kothagiri, and the region between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore. Travellers who cruise the Ooty-Mettupalayam Highway have become fans of TN-43 since its inauguration.
The first thing that attracts a newcomer here is the bright orange lights and orange theme. One cannot seem to miss any of the TN-43 restaurants, because they are so vibrant on the outside. Food is the immediate thing that will catch the senses. The restaurants offer multi-cuisine delicacies including South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, Italian, Continental and Arabian.
Just order a samosa, and the crispy exterior of it will amaze you with its unique broasted nature. The broasted delicacies with mouth-watering fillings would announce the freshness in food at TN 43. The perfectly cooked and flavoured chicken in the cutlets and shawarmas have been a huge hit among travellers who blogged much about it on YouTube and other social media. Notable food blogger Irfan has reviewed TN 43 Restaurant and has said that he was amazed by the freshness of the food and the ambience.
Mujeeb has kept his menu limited. He does not offer hundreds of foodstuffs; just 30- 40 items that are hits, specialized and affordable. The restaurants change the menu every month so that customers get to try something new and unique.
As a person dines here, the ambience would be the next captivating aspect that he/she will start to relish. The spacious food courts found in the restaurant is beautified by the lights, beautiful décor and many imported interiors. Mujeeb is the one who has done the interiors as well as the exteriors. Apart from this, all the restaurants have suite rooms, feeding rooms for young mothers to nurse their babies, shops for getting travel essentials.
One visit to TN-43 is enough to keep it in your memory for a good time but even so, if your memory is weak, Mujeeb has made sure that you will remember his restaurant whenever you ride on the Ooty-Mettupalayam Highway, as all of his restaurants bear the name TN 43. It would be easy and simple for customers to remember the brand. Whenever a customer travels to Ooty, he will be easily reminded of TN 43. The registration code on the vehicle ahead of a customer will certainly make him think of visiting the outlets.
Behind the food:
To maintain the same authentic taste across all the restaurants, Mujeeb has set up three central kitchens – one in Ooty and two in Coimbatore. The food is made in a way women in our families prepare food. In fact, the entire kitchen staff at TN 43 Restaurants are women.
“All my central kitchen staff are women. My staff includes women from my own family also. They prepare the food in an authentic and ethical way. We do not use any packed ingredients or flavours. All the vegetables, ingredients, meat are sourced from local markets so that we can get fresh food, and also help the community.”
“Everything is prepared by our staff. The meat used is 100% halal. The veg menu on the other hand is cooked in a separate kitchen with separate utensils.” Apart from the menu, Mujeeb instructs his staff to find the foods that are popular in an outlet’s nearby location, and offer a customized version of it to his customers, so that it would be a delighting experience and something to come back for.
Light on your wallet:
You would be amazed to know that Mujeeb has kept his prices affordable though he offers a luxurious experience. “Our range starts at Rs. 10 and goes up to Rs. 450. As simple as that. I have kept mine very reasonable because I want people from all walks of life to try my food, and become my customers. I firmly believe that I have no competition and I fear no competition. I am a very positive person, and that helps me carry this company to new levels.”
No Compromise on health or ethics:
Taste and Pricing remain a solid factor that makes customers decide which Restaurant to frequent. Health-aspect is often ignored by patrons as well as the restaurant owners, but Mujeeb wants his customers to know that he values the health of his patrons above his wealth.
Just like how the food is prepared in homemade fashion, Mujeeb and his whole family eat from only his restaurants. “ I eat food from my restaurant. My food is prepared like how families prepare food at home. My cooks keep in mind about our customers’ health in every step of preparation.”
“I firmly believe that food should be prepared and served in an ethical way, and my team upholds that virtue every time. I am very faithful to my customers and sincere in the way it is prepared. We maintain high safety and hygiene standards, that anytime an inspection can be held to see our standards.”
What is more?
TN 43 Restaurants don’t follow the franchise model. It is kept in that way to keep the brand value pristine. But Mujeeb has great plans for the next outlets; all the new outlets will have a club attached under the brand name Club-43.
It will come with facilities like sports arena, swimming pool, football turf, fitness studio, suite rooms, badminton court and even a jogging track, as well as other indoor games and sports. There will also be EV Charging Points for customers’ e-vehicle charging.
Mujeeb has plans to take TN 43 across the country and beyond. He shared that he has plans to open outlets in Chennai, Kerala, Karnataka and Dubai. It may sound ambitious but Mujeeb is a man of vision and execution. He opened several outlets during this pandemic, when many considered it a risk.
He shared that he is also in plans to open ‘Café-43’ in the future. The plan is to have a chain of Cafeterias that will be present from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
What is the secret?
Like many successful people, to Mujeeb, his dad CM Moidu was his inspiration. He was a vegetable merchant and began his business in 1972. Drawing moral support and strength from him, Mujeeb became an entrepreneur to achieve big in life. But not all was a cake-walk for him. He tried many ventures, had to jump many hurdles and pick himself up from great falls. In spite of all that, like a true entrepreneur, he refused to give up in his journey; and that he says is one of his secrets to success.
Mujeeb’s hardwork and innovation has took him to places, and that has lead TN 43 earn several awards from the Government and from many other private rating organizations. Of all the awards he has won, he considers the wishes of his customers on his restaurants to be the best award that should be earned everyday.