The Aid of First Wave Hari Kotian, the Comrade in Mumbai Pandemic

For DP Foods, 2020 had to be a celebration by opening five more restaurants in Mumbai.

From the hospital bed of All Cure in Jogeshwari, with a saline locked in his hand, and recovering from COVID; Hari Kotian recalls how he made One Million Meals possible; organized many Blood Donation Camps; arranged Oxygen Concentrators; and offered free community refrigerators in the darkest days of the pandemic.

At the time when people began working from home, protecting themselves and their loved ones. When migrant workers made the long walk home with their families; Hari Kotian, Owner of DP Fast Food and Wok Hei Restaurants, was distributing food packets to the needy: the COVID patients, their families, the homeless, and those who lost their earnings during the lockdown.

When hotels were among the most suffered businesses, Hari kept his five restaurants afloat and even provided free one million delicious khichdi to the needy.

How?

For DP Foods, 2020 had to be a celebration by opening five more restaurants in Mumbai. Instead, the pandemic forced him to close down his one restaurant, and Hari couldn't stall the operations at others because he had over 150 staff working. He was also concerned about the starving labourers in Mumbai. So, Hari decided to act!

Hari said, "Hospitality is how I earned my living, and it was the moment to give back to the community."

Further, he made sure all his staff were COVID insured. Then, they set forth to prepare and distribute free meals for the people. With the help of a few NGOs, Hari and his team were cooking over 18,000 meals a day, which went to hospitals, slums, and migrant workers of Mumbai. They set up Blood Donation Camps at all five restaurants. Arranged Oxygen Cylinders on requests. And offered community refrigerators at three branches where anybody could store food for free.

"Each day, my attention was on what was needed, and not on what I can or cannot do. And everybody feels like contributing, it's natural. You just have to rise to do it at THAT moment.", said Hari.

His efforts were recognised by Maharashtra State Minister, Varsha Gaikwad, and Hari was felicitated in September 2020.

DP Fast Food's response to COVID-19

Hari explains that businesses have changed, the old ways won't work, and new strategies need to be experimented without the experience. This means offering the most expensive dish on the menu for a stealing rate, in his words, "The most ridiculous rate!" And that means dishes worth Rs 350 and Rs 150, were sold for Rs 99 and Rs 49 without compromising the quality.

If an authentic Thai curry needed coconut milk from Thailand, it had it!

Hari said, "It was possible because the operational cost was lesser, so I could transfer the benefits to my customers."

Look up DP Fast Food and Wok Hei Restaurants. You might find one of their authentic delicious dishes at the most ridiculous rate, and also meet the Comrade in Mumbai Pandemic, Hari Kotian.

Written by, Raj ILLIKAL.