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“Why are people going out during the Covid-19 pandemic? It is so unhygienic”, she said to her friend. “Who will support the street food vendors if not one single person buys from them”, he replied. “Everything will get better. One day”, she said.
The pertinent question of the hour is: How to bring back customers despite the pandemic?
We do have restaurants with trustworthy, well-educated leaders who obviously have some good strategies that will help restaurants to bounce back. But right now, these dining places are in bad shape, as they have had to shut down. And not just restaurants, street food stalls are in bad shape too. And not just street food stalls, what about street vendors in wholesale markets?
Going out to eat is a hugely positive sign. It is a great way to show support during the pandemic which has caused havoc on the food industry. While many people have resorted to ordering food home, incentives can be given to encourage them to go out more.
The lockdown restrictions must be eased, but to set the F&B industry goings-on into motion, the government has to help in a bigger way.
That is why the state government in Kerala announced that adhering to hygiene rules and regulations laid down by the government, there will be a new initiative for KTDC’s (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation) Aahar restaurants. As per the scheme, the menu in this initiative will cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner besides snacks and the food will be sent to the customers in the parked vehicles, as reported by news agency ANI. ‘In-Car Dining’ initiative is a great way to revive the eating out culture.
It is quite a good scheme which will help street vendors especially; and even though such a scheme may not be available for all kinds of vendors yet, the fact is — this is a tough time for them, and if you can start supporting street vendors like you always had even before the awful pandemic, you’ll do a lot more for them than you think.
Why this is better than ordering home is that more and more people will take note of the fact that street food vendors are bouncing back once they see a crowd.
We hope that next time you want to eat something from outside, you’ll consider supporting a vendor who depends on you to sustain his family’s livelihood.
