DUBAI Don’t be surprised if you get an invitation to a restaurant where your meal has been sponsored by a stranger. Yes, that’s exactly what a novel initiative has made possible in various restaurants in Dubai.
Called Karma Kitchen, the experiment started by Dubai volunteer Neha Phukan and supported by gifting website Injoy Giving, is treating customers to hearty meals that have already been paid for by previous customers. And when you are done, you have the option of paying it forward.
Paying double
Dubai residents, known for their generosity, have been quick to pay it forward. “The first event was held at Ajanta restaurant, a vegetarian hang-out in Karama, in March this year. The response was overwhelming and guests ended up paying 100 per cent more than the retail prices,” said Natasha Rockstrom of Injoy Giving, adding that 20 volunteers served around 100 meals at the launch event.
Phukan said she drew inspiration for the initiative from a similar service in the US. “I wanted to try it out in a place like Dubai. There is a general misconception that the society is materialistic and consumeristic, but I realised that if you open a space for people to be kind and generous, they will respond in unimaginable ways. At Karma Kitchen we have found that people are more generous than when there is a fixed number on the menu.”
Rockstrom said the concept of Karma Kitchen is explained to the guests who are given special menus with no prices against the dishes. Volunteers give the waiters a break, take the orders and serve the meals. At the end of the meal, guests are handed cheques for Dh0 with a footnote saying the meal was a gift from someone who came before them. An invitation to pay it forward is also extended.
Rockstrom said the aim is to run Karma Kitchen in restaurants all over Dubai in the coming months.
“Karma Kitchen is basically a generosity experiment and an experience in human kindness and connection,” she said, adding that it is a chance to savour the goodness of others and at the same time serve and give back to the community.
She said Phukan was one of the many community heroes in the UAE identified by Injoy Giving to support a noble cause.
