Mayuri Indian Cuisine Serves Up Confusion

Mayuri Indian Cuisine is worth trying, even though I found fault with some things. I'll warn you now: This review is about more than the food and service, and it gets a bit brutal.

They have some rough spots that they need to pay attention to. Those problems involve not only the food, but also presentation, marketing, web presence and communication skills. All of these could be corrected quickly and easily.... if they want to. 

Their newest store, at 5727 Westheimer Road in the Galleria area, is in the space formerly occupied by Fu Belly, which closed on April 22, 2023. The layout is completely new, making for a comfortable room with mixed seating choices.

COMMUNICATION

I was greeted at noon by a lady (hostess?) who asked if I was dining in for getting takeout. I told her I was waiting for a friend and we'd be eating at a table. "Do you want the buffet?" I said I didn't know yet, "let me look at the menu, first time here." She then offered a folded one with no pictures, a takeout menu. It was not as extensive and didn't have photos like the menu I saw on Google Maps. 

I asked for the full menu and she again pointed to the takeout menus in front of me. Her English was good, so I'm not sure why she seemed confused. I said I saw a menu with photos online, and she then retrieved a full, photo-filled menu. She then asked me again if I wanted the buffet or would be ordering from the menu. Again I told her I didn't know yet. I took a seat a booth and examined the menu. I couldn't find any reference to a buffet on the menu.

Aside from interpersonal communication issues, the company has big issues in getting a clear message out to the public. I discuss that below under "Marketing and Websites."

SECRET BUFFET

Most restaurants would brag about their buffet. Not Mayuri. Only one of their three websites even mentions a buffet, as noted above. A search of their "main" website's source code found the word "buffet" zero times. None at all. 

GOOD FOOD, BUT…

My friend arrived a minute later and we decided on the buffet. It offered a good selection of items from which to choose. The smells were enticing. I loaded up my plate. Some of the items were excellent. 

You won't leave hungry

Most enjoyable for me was the hot, fresh naan bread and the tender chunks of goat in a dark curry. It was spiced just right, and the basmati rice made the perfect bed for it. The food tasted good, but it was not extraordinary. I've had as-good or better Indian fare at smaller restaurants.

However, some of the buffet items were not hot enough. I'm talking about temperature. Those items included the Baby Corn Majestic, the Chicken Tandoori, and Fish Nuggets. They would have tasted better if they were hotter, but more importantly this raises food safety concerns.

Crappy napkins: The ones provided on the tables are like the kind you find at roadside hot dogs stands, and they weren't even in a dispenser. They were just sitting in a pile on the table. The napkins you get at McDonald's are better. Keep in mind that many of the items both on the menu and the buffet are finger food, messy and requiring good napkins. 

My friend said maybe they didn't have time to get them into this new store. I reminded him that Mayuri already has other locations, and must already have relationships with vendors. Couldn't they have called their napkin vendor a couple of weeks prior to opening?

That said, I left full and satisfied. The buffet cost me $18.39 (with tax). That's a bit steep, but it's even more annoying when you see "Monday to Friday Buffet price is $11.95" on one of their websites. If you want to take a chance on their buffet, they're having a grand opening special soon: "The team behind Mayuri Express is proud to announce our 3rd location in the Uptown neighborhood. To celebrate our Grand Open, we are offering a Lunch Buffet on June 24th and 25th for only $12.99! Mark your calendar!" From Yelp!

MARKETING AND WEBSITES

A company's web presence is, these days, a crucial part of their marketing strategy. Mayuri's is a confused mess, frankly, as hinted by the above reference to the buffet price. On what seems to be their primary website's home page, they list their three stores: Westheimer, Tomball, and Downtown. Each has "Our Menu" with five things listed: Biryanis, Snacks, Tiffins, Drinks, Desserts. But none of those general categories are links to descriptions. Granted, there is the "Indian Cuisine Menu" link at the top, but why not include that link in the three locations' sections instead of dead text? 

Shy about the menu?

Note: All of my websites observations were made on July 15, 2023.

For the Westheimer store, there is no "Order Online" or "View Menu" option. Tomball offers only the "Order Online" and Downtown only has "View Menu."  To add to the confusion, their Downtown store shows up as "Mayuri Express" but it's not called that on the main website. On Google Maps, the photos posted "By Owner" shows only one menu photo, and that only shows two samosa items. Wow.

Click on the Tomball section's "Order Online" and you're taken to (drum roll, please) a page call "Ordering from Mayuri Express." Search Google for "Mayuri Express" and you get two hits: The one at 930 Main Street ("Downtown") and one at 21145 Texas 249 Access Road ("Tomball"). To top it off, on the bottom of that page you'll see "Our Locations." It's below the three location sections above it, but it only lists Downtown and Tomball, with no mention of Westheimer.

HOW MANY MAYURIS?

One company, I think, but they have at least three distinct web addresses. One is https://mayuriusa.com (the one I've cited from above).

Another is https://www.mayuri.com, which seems dated because it makes no reference to the new Westheimer store. That's the one that listed the buffet at $11.95 "at main location," but they don't specify which location is the "main" one. 

Mayuri's Sushi Mystery

And there's a third one, https://www.mayuriexpress.com, which shows sushi on its home page. Yes, sushi, at their Tomball location. Holy geez, this makes my head spin. I mean, okay, they serve sushi. But they're primarily an Indian restaurant. 

The "About Us" page says, "Mayuri express is a cornerstone in the Houston community and has been recognized for its outstanding Indian cuisine, excellent service and friendly staff." But why are there sushi photos on the home page? Sushi is not even on the menu! Their "Galley" page has no photos at all. What the hellza goin' on here? It's as if the web designer was in a big hurry and randomly grabbed some stock food images, the type of food be damned.

QUIET GRAND OPENING

Remember that Grand Opening notice from Yelp! announcing their new Westheimer location featuring a discounted buffet price on June 24 and 25? Mayuri posted that on Yelp!, but not on any of their websites. It's not mentioned on their Facebook page, either.

 
All of this is enough to cause indigestion. Buffet items not kept hot enough, a hostess who was confused about the menus, crappy napkins that are more insult than convenience. The marketing and web presence problems seem to mirror the in-house dining experience at Mayuri Indian Cuisine. Or is it "Mayuri Indian Restaurant?" Or, maybe, "Mayuri Express?" Whatever they call themselves, they're serving up a big helping of confusion.