Gowdru Hotel

Being out here in the Kiadb Industrial Area 31 on the Jigani Link Road means we see a lot of workers. The HRBR Layout around Bommasandra is always busy with trucks and people heading to the factories. Our hotel is right in the middle of all that noise. We open up early because that’s when the first shifts start. You can see the steam coming off the pots as soon as the sun comes up. It’s a plain building, nothing special to look at from the outside. Inside, it’s mostly just long tables and stools. We don't have any decorations on the walls. People come here because they’re hungry and they need to get back to work quickly. We make sure the food is hot and ready. The kitchen is small and gets very hot in the afternoons. We use a lot of firewood which adds a specific smell to the air. Sometimes the smoke makes our eyes water, but you get used to it. Dealing with the crowd during the break hours is the toughest part. Everyone wants to eat at the exact same time. We just keep serving until the pots are empty. By the time evening rolls around, the industrial area quietens down a bit. We spend that time scrubbing the big pans and sweeping the floor. It’s a lot of manual work. We’ve been at this for years now and it’s what we know.