Two Kudumbashree cafés on wheels in Thiruvananthapuram from month- end

Restaurants on refurbished RTC buses to serve ethnic and other food

The Kudumbashree district mission is gearing up to open a Pink Café.

Kudumbashree is going to improve its presence in the city’s food scene with the opening of two restaurants on wheels by the end of this month.

The Kudumbashree district mission is gearing up to open a Pink Café and a Café Kudumbashree on refurbished buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) at East Fort and Thampanoor respectively.

While Café Kudumbashree specialises in ethnic cuisine, the Pink Café will serve primarily steamed food, though fish, chicken, and packed lunches too will be on the menu.

The buses, with facilities to seat at least 10 diners, will have the added advantage of being parked on KSRTC property in prime locations in the city, says Kudumbashree district mission coordinator K.R. Shaiju.

Condemned KSRTC buses are being refurbished to operate as food trucks. Work on them is expected to be completed early next week.

The Kudumbashree has handed over a deposit of ₹1 lakh each for the buses. It will give the KSRTC a rent of ₹20,000 a month for three years. The kitchens in the buses are being set up at a cost of ₹2.1 lakh each.

The restaurants will be manned by five-member teams led by Subha of Mangalapuram and Aswathy of Kochulloor. Part of the Yuvashree initiative of the Kudumbashree, the two teams will be given training before the cafes become operational. On-the-job training will also be conducted for the members. The units will be monitored by one of the personnel from Kudumbashree’s empanelled agencies that provide training to catering groups.

This is the first time in the State that the Kudumbashree is rolling out such a venture, says Mr. Shaiju. The cafes will provide employment to nearly 20 persons as part of Kudumbashree district mission’s target of providing jobs to 10,000 people under the State government’s 100-day action plan, says Dr. Shaiju.

The cafes will be inaugurated by Minister for Local Self-Government A.C. Moideen and Minister for Transport A.K. Saseendran in the presence of Kudumbashree Executive Director Harikishore S. and KSRTC Managing Director Biju Prabhakar at the month-end.