From Ragpickers to Office Goers – Everyone Eats for Free at This Weekly Buffet by a Delhi Hotel

The Royal Plaza Hotel in Connaught Place in New Delhi has an open buffet or bhandara once a week to serve fresh free food to everyone from autorickshaw drivers to office goers.

Many hotels across the country are now adopting the practice of avoiding wastage by distributing leftover food from their restaurants to the poor and needy at the end of the day.

But there is one hotel in Delhi, the Royal Plaza, that believes in going even beyond such acts of charity – it believes in cooking and distributing fresh food for anyone who needs it three to four times a month.

Photo by Sunali on Facebook

According to Amit Kumar, Restaurant Manager at the Royal Plaza Hotel, the inspiration behind this initiative is the MD of the hotel, Mr. Ashok Mittal. About 500-800 people are served at these free buffets. Says Amit Kumar, “The queue is always very long. Aside from this bhandara, food is also served to approximately 500 people every Tuesday and Saturday outside the nearby Hanuman Mandir.”

The dishes served are of the same high quality as those served to the clientele at the hotel. A typical menu comprises puris, rice, daal, sabzi, halwa, and chaach.

Photo by Sunali on Facebook

A Facebook blogger named Sunali recently became aware of this beautiful and kind gesture of the Royal Plaza Hotel and decided to write about it on social media. The post has gone viral. Here is what Sunali wrote:

“The More We Share ,
The More We Have !!!
Nice breezy afternoon. The usual hustle -bustle on saddi Dilli ki roads. Car navigating the roundabout at Ashoka road.
Close -by a Majestic hotel. Surrounded by the tall , ancient trees . In the forecourt of the hotel water makes pretty patterns as it gushes out from the fountain.
Am sure you are beginning to tick and ask what is so unusual about this ?
It’s just then that my eyes catch many young men and women dressed in the crisp white hotel uniform , some wearing white caps too.
Mr Gagan -A bright young man busy serving food tells me that the hotel serves food once a week to anyone and who wishes lines up here. It’s cooked in the kitchen using the same high standard the hotel has for its guests.
And the hotel staff takes pride in serving it to the people on the road . It’s free food .
It’s just about time and people from all the strata of the society have very orderly lined up to eat the servings.
It’s like a buffet laid on the road . As I get closer I see the delicious dal makhni. White chawal shining like pearls and the finger licking halwa too.

Mr Vyas tells me that he regularly comes here to eat this absolutely free of cost buffet served once and sometimes even twice The hotel has been doing this for a few years now.
The autowallahs, guards , office goers , people on the street , everyone has lined up for this special treat.
A man in white kurta pyjama from Bihar comes to me and says that he is here for some rally and that was so happy to see yummy food being served by the hotel .
He found it hard to believe that Dilli main aisa bhi hota hai ?!!
His friend is quick to add Dill hai dillwalon ki !!!
A ragpicker is looking at us as he sinks into the meetha halwa.
Before leaving I quickly look at the people lined up , the friendly hotel staff and then at the hotel …!!!
My soul was reassured that Goodness, , Kindness and Sharing still exists in the world. It’s heartening to know that for some people it’s important to fill up their lives with the Blessings of others and not just money.
All of us are aware that Caring is sharing. But in our busy lives do we remember to follow it ?
The hotel is doing its bit
I’m sure We All can do ours by Sharing !!

A little caring and sharing, as the Royal Plaza Hotel shows us all, can go a long way in helping our fellow humans.”

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