THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Besides affecting normal lives, the pandemic also reshaped the food industry. Embracing the changes, Kudumbashree Mission is all set to launch another ‘wheel on restaurant’ at Thampanoor in the capital city.
The new restaurant aims to provide ethnic and healthy food to the public. It will be inaugurated by Transport Minister Antony Raju in a function at 10am on Monday. Kudumbashree’s first such venture titled Pink Café was launched last year at East Fort. The dining space was created by refurbishing buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
“The initiative has been launched to improve Kudumbashree’s presence in the food indutry in the city and also to help women who have been facing livelihood issues due to the pandemic. Pink Café offered good sales and turned out to be a success. Before the lockdown, a turnover of Rs 22,000 per day was obtained from the cafe. The business has resumed and there are a lot of customers. Apart from steamed food, packed lunches with fish and chicken are also available over the counter,” said K R Shaiju, Kudumbashree district mission coordinator.
“We are expecting more sales at the Thampanoor outlet once it’s launched,” he said. “Though the seating facility is limited, we have been getting a good number of customers. Even though the lockdown brought the business to a halt, thinhs are picking up,” said a Kudumbashree member at Pink Café.
The buses will include facilities to seat at least 10 people at a time and will be parked near the KSRTC bus terminal at Thampanoor. A team of five women who underwent training in a reputed catering college in Wayanad will man the restaurant and the unit will be monitored by one of the personnel from Kudumbashree’s empanelled agencies that provide training to catering groups. “The food outlets will not only provide healthy food to the customers but also help in providing employment to women,” Shaiju said.
New mode of dining
Kudumbashree has provided a deposit of Rs 1 lakh for each buses and will give KSRTC a rent of Rs 20,000 per month for three years. The kitchens inside the buses have been set up for Rs 2.1 lakh.