Mumbai’s iconic Mani’s Lunch Home faces eviction threat, owners say ‘won’t vacate’ – Times Now

Established in 1937 by K A Vishwanathan Iyer, Mani’s lunch home is an iconic restaurant in the city which is famous for its vegetarian meals, south Indian snacks and hot beverages.

The restaurant management said it was shocking to receive such an eviction letter from the owners and said they are exploring legal options. According to the owners, they have been paying the rent without fail. The landlords are reportedly planning to renovate the building.

However, the restaurant management believes the letter was sent to them to create pressure on the tenants so that they vacate the premises. Other tenants in the building also received eviction notices.

The building is under the Pagdi rent system. Under this system, the tenant is also the co-owner of the property who has the subletting and selling rights and pays a nominal rent, compared to the general market rate.

Earlier, the landlords asked the hotel owners to end the Pagdi systems and move to leave and license agreements. However, the hotel management refused the changed and preferred to continue with the Pagdi system, though they agreed to pay a higher rent.

However, Mani’s management told local media that they are not going to vacate the building. A reply to the legal notice will be sent to the landlord soon and if they insist on vacating the premise, the restaurant management is planning to explore legal options.

Mani’s started another outlet a few years ago in a building near the Matunga post office. But, that eatery had to shift to Chembur since that building too was taken up for redevelopment.