---
title: "100 Years Legacy!"
author: "Lax Mariappan"
date: "2025-07-01"
categories: ["Blogging"]
excerpt: "How does a small corner restaurant survive for 100 years? I found myself asking this question while picking up takeaway from Coronation Hotel yesterday. I kept it simple – just 3 rotis for takeaway. But the guy taking my order had other plans. “Sir, try our chicken gravy with that!” “I don’t want anything spicy,” […]"
canonical_url: "https://laxmariappan.com/100-years-legacy/"
---

# 100 Years Legacy!

How does a small corner restaurant survive for 100 years?

I found myself asking this question while picking up takeaway from Coronation Hotel yesterday.

I kept it simple – just 3 rotis for takeaway. But the guy taking my order had other plans.

“Sir, try our chicken gravy with that!”

“I don’t want anything spicy,” I said.

“No problem, we can keep it low and not spicy,” he assured me with complete confidence.

Something about his conviction sold me. I added the gravy to my order.

The place had clearly been renovated recently – fresh paint, clean surfaces. The owner juggled between taking calls and running the cash register. Waiters hustled between tables and takeaway orders. The cook? Completely focused, confirming every single item before firing up the stove.

That’s when I spotted it – an old advertisement celebrating their 100-year anniversary.

A flood of memories hit me. My grandpa used to bring me here after elementary school. “Best food in the neighborhood,” he’d say, ordering our usual. This little corner spot had been feeding families for generations.

I got home, unpacked my order, and reality hit.

The “non-spicy” chicken gravy was blazing hot. Instead of 3 rotis, I got 4. The experience was… imperfect.

Yet here I was, thinking about that 100-year legacy again.

In tech, we obsess over perfect user experiences, flawless execution, and pixel-perfect interfaces. We pivot at the first sign of user friction. But Coronation Hotel has been serving imperfect food with inconsistent service for a century – and they’re still here.

Maybe longevity isn’t about perfection. Maybe it’s about showing up, day after day, building relationships one conversation at a time. The guy who convinced me to try the chicken gravy? He cared enough to make a recommendation. The cook double-checking orders? That’s someone who takes pride in their craft, even if the spice levels don’t always match the promise.

While we chase the next breakthrough feature, maybe there’s wisdom in the simple act of consistently serving your community – imperfections and all.

What do you think keeps businesses alive for generations? Is it excellence, or something else entirely?