Enterprising individuals have begun door-delivery of food and booze right through the night to cater to the demand of graveyard shift workers.
“When I finish work and come out of office, I find that there is nothing to eat or drink,” says Tushar Nadkarni, an online retail businessman. Tushar’s lament is the lament of scores of people and professionals working in Bangalore, which calls itself a global city but behaves like a small town.
But not all have surrendered to the temptations of a goodnight sleep, as Tushar recently found out.
Tushar had a gastronomic surprise when he discovered Biryani Night Out through a phone inquiry service. “I ordered food at 1.30am for myself and two colleagues. The food was superb. We felt like ordering more, and there it was, again, with the delivery boy at our doorsteps smiling,” says Tushar.
Like Tushar, many professionals working in the IT/ITeS sectors are a relieved lot to find midnight eating options in the city: where there is demand, there will eventually be supply.
Enterprising individuals in the city are supplying food and drink right at the doorsteps between 11.30 pm and almost until pre-dawn.
For instance, one such enterprise Biryani Night Out in Yeshwanthpur even has a Facebook page which states “Treating tastebuds at midnight”. It caters to clients until 3am from its outlet in Yeshwanthpur.
Nayaz Pasha, owner of Biryani Night Out, says that he always wanted to be his own boss; and after completing his engineering degree last year, he did just that: he opened Biryani Night Out after realising that there was a large demand for night delivery services.
On Jan 18, 2013, based out of Yeshwanthpur, Biryani Night Out began dishing out biriyanis to famished Bangaloreans within a 10-km radius.
“I don’t charge for delivery as everyone gets hungry. So even if someone wants just one biryani, we deliver,” he says, adding that response has been so good that he now has five delivery boys, two chefs, a manager and a marketing consultant.
Vaibhav Ali, who runs Midnight Hunger Solution 24/7 from Indiranagar, used to be an event manager. “Events and parties go on till late night. After all the hard work, when we are hungry, there were very few options. I wanted good, hygienic, tasty and reasonable food available 24/7. That apart, MHS was born out of another need too. February-March-April season is a lean period for events. So there was a gap in business for me then. That’s prompted us to come up with Midnight Hunger Solution,” says Vaibhav Ali, co-owner.
Then there is SRS Restaurant 24/7. Started six months ago by Satish M, the restaurant is now doing roaring business, confirming once again that the city is very alive, kicking and hungry through the night.
Satish’s biryanis (chicken and mutton) and Andhra-style meals are a hot favourite and he delivers “anywhere in the city”, he says.
Senthil Kumar, owner of KFDS 24/7 (KFDS stands for Kevin Food Delivery Service), too has a smile on his face, as his gamble to open a 24/7 restaurant paid-off. He has a regular clientele with IT offices. “They (IT professionals) asked me to start late night delivery as well. I tried it out and found the business to be roaring,” says Senthil.
According to legal experts, there is no prohibition on delivering food after 1pm. “A commercial establishment has to be closed at 11pm. However, there is no prohibition on delivering food to homes post 11pm,” says senior advocate Ravi B Naik.
Former advocate general Uday Holla, too, agrees: “There is absolutely no bar on delivering food post 11pm. Home delivery for food is not illegal post 11pm.”
However, such night delivery services are set to witness a boom in the near future with National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) predicting more than a three-fold increase in IT/BPO workforce by 2020 — a sizable portion of which will be Bangalore-bound.
(Inputs from Suchith Kidiyoor and Odeal D’Souza)
Midnight Hunger Solution 24/7
Phone: 080-66534184,
8088922299, 8088922295
Email: midnighthungersolution@gmail.com
Service started on Feb 24, 2012.
They deliver anywhere in the city.
Serves Mughlai, Indian and Chinese food.
Meal for two would approximately cost Rs 300-400. Delivery charges are Rs 100.
Biryani Night Out
Phone: 09741109909
Serves chicken, vegetable biryani, kababs and soft drinks.
Veg biryani is priced at Rs 139, chicken biryani at Rs 159 and kababs at Rs 159 or 179 for 10 pieces.
SRS Restaurant 24/7
Phone: 080-49152614, 9738973503
They deliver anywhere in the city.
Late-night delivery charges around Rs 100-Rs 150 (based on the distance from Kammanahalli — their base).
Biryanis and Andhra-style meals are hot favourites.
Meal for two would cost Rs 280.
KFDS 24/7
Phone: 080-49342173, 8050489390, 9886483529
They deliver anywhere in the city.
Mainly serves Indian and Chinese food.
Minimum order should be Rs 400.
Delivery charges are 100. For 15+ km, the charges would be Rs 150.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by Nirad Mudur and Malavika Velayanikal / Place: Bangalore, Agency:DNA / Friday – June 14th, 2013