If you thought that your favourite restaurant is shut right now, you stand corrected. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has pledged to provide 10 million meals, during the lockdown period, to the daily wage earners, part time workers, and house helps. To help them do this, the task force — at kitchens of some popular eateries in Delhi-NCR — has come forward to support those who have been the worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Government asked us to close our restaurants and only delivery was operational. We realised that we have excess stock, and could deliver it to people who needed food in our neighbourhood. Soon we expanded, partnered with NGOs and started preparing 3,000 meals per day. We now work up to 14 hours a day, and our staff has volunteered to help. Our target now is to provide 5000 meals per day,” says Saurabh Wahie, co-owner of Cafeteria & Co sharing that monetary contributions from city folks are helping them sustain this initiative.
Wahie adds, “We ensure our kitchen is clean, and the food packages are fully sanitised. The cooking staff has been given an accommodation near the kitchen. Since a sanitised environment is our priority, we are not taking in any volunteers from outside, though many people have approached us offering help.”
Zorawar Kalra, founder, Massive Restaurants informs that NRAI is planning to raise funds to sustain this initiative, and adds, “When going to purchase medicines for my mother, I saw people travelling to their home town on foot, on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. They didn’t have food to eat. This propelled me to make food in my kitchen – aaloo puri – and distribute it to them… I’m hugely influenced by the langar concept of the Gurdwaras.”
While Kalra shares that he is using his base kitchens to prepare 2,000 meals per day and plans to increase it to 5,000 meals per day, Varun Tuli, owner of Yum Yum Tree says, “I am providing 10,000 meals per day, using the manpower and facilities I have at hand , which are being distributed to the daily wagers in Delhi-NCR with the help of the government. We are targeting at providing 5 lakh meals per day… People have been donating grains and sponsoring meals to support this initiative. My aim is to contribute how ever much I can in terms of funds, meals or grains and also enable other caterers and kitchens in the city to do so too.”
Akhil Malik, co-owner of QD’s, says that he extended a helping hand because “this the need of the hour”, and adds, “It feels really great to feed people who aren’t getting any food. Everyone should come together and try to make a difference in these circumstances.”
