Social media does really work wonders sometimes. In times of pandemic and social-distancing, it brings people closer to lend a helping hand to those who need it the most.
A video of an elderly citizen in tears as his business of a small road-side eatery suffered a huge setback in the lockdown surfaced on the Internet. The elderly man has his makeshift shop in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar locality with the name Baba ka Dhaba, but hasn’t been able to make much of a business lately.
The Internet worked its magic and has taken an initiative to bring a smile on the old man’s face. His story has touched many hearts and in fact, Baba ka Dhaba was soon crowded with many patrons showing up to help the local business.
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The video was also noticed by AAP MLA Somnath Bharti who assured help and walked the talk. The rallying call on the social media is support fro local business. The word is out and help is pouring in for Baba ka Dhaba.
Twitterati shared photographs showing people queued up outside the eatery. Internet literally got together to help the old man and his family which rely on this small shop for their survival.
Food delivery services and restaurant finder, Zomato, also listed the eatery on its website.
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https://twitter.com/ZomatoIN/status/1314221017724641280
https://twitter.com/ZomatoIN/status/1314228746119831552
Lots of praises poured in for the platform, because it would now be an easy way for people to access the food without physically reaching there.
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Awesome ❤️❤️
— Anirudh M ? (@insaneani_) October 8, 2020
But not everyone was happy about it: A corporation like Zomato which runs solely on the profits made from their share of small businesses, might not lead to immense profit for ‘Baba ka Dhaba.’
Unse profit ka % mat Lena.. 100% unko hi dena
— भाई साहब (@Bhai_saheb) October 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/barri_ismail/status/1314221271849279488
Here also commission 25% bro? Already ruin their low margins.
— Gooner4Life (@hydbadibc) October 8, 2020
Zomato does charge the restaurant a certain margin of the profits made on orders through the app, and with Covid-19 pandemic keeping most people indoors, people wanting to help the restaurant are more likely to order it online, if they have the option. Whether this will translate into increased demand for Baba ka Dhaba or almost running on losses because of the added Zomato margin is only something that time will probably tell.
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The Zomato listing at the time of writing this story, however, only shows ‘Dine-in’ available and ‘No Delivery,’ and works only as a restaurant finder app for the business, and not as a delivery service platform.