Bangalore cafe blast | The Rameshwaram Café, Brookefield, reopening for public on March 9

Raghavendra Rao, co-founder and CEO, Rameshwaram Café, said: “We will start serving guests (at the Brookefield, Bengaluru, branch) from Saturday morning.”

Post the blast on March 1 that left 10 people injured, Rameshwaram Café’s official statement was shared with a press release. “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident at our Brookefield branch today. We are cooperating with the authorities and officials in their investigations. Our thoughts are with the injured and their families, and we are offering them all the support, assistance and care they need and pray for their speedy recovery,” said Divya Raghavendra Rao, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Rameshwaram Café.

While there were theories ranging from business rivalries to political agendas, Raghavendra Rao, Co-Founder & CEO, Rameshwaram Café, ruled both out and gave this official statement. “As we face this challenging situation, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the authorities for their support. We firmly believe that no force can dampen the spirit of our nation. We have decided to reopen our Brookefield outlet within a week of the unfortunate incident, which is on the auspicious day of Mahashivratri, the 8th of March (Friday). We extend a warm invitation to all authorities and customers to join us for our reopening. Let us unite in solidarity and demonstrate that together, we are unyielding in our commitment to moving forward.”

Rao spoke exclusively to Moneycontrol and said that they will have some poojas in the morning and the relaunch in the evening. “We have extended an invite to the local police, office of the Chief Minister, Deputy CM, MLA and Home Minister. We will start serving guests from Saturday morning. Apart from the regular security, we will also have additional security whose job is to keep walking around the café. We will also have metal detectors and do all we can to ensure safety of all,” says Rao.

While the suspect’s image has been caught on CCTV, he is still at large. The probe has now been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In fact, the NIA has now announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for anyone who has information on the suspect, promising to keep their identity a secret. The popular eatery that is known for its quick service model is in expansion mode, having opened its first branch outside the city in Hyderabad in January 2024.