Remembering Srila Prabhupada on Restaurants

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Srila Prabhupada Said: on Restaurants

 

 

The other day His Divine Grace revealed in detail his

plans for Hare Krsna restaurants, which can be opened

anywhere in the world. After his talk most recently,

he told me to see that this information is

disseminated to all the devotees. He described it as

"the next phase of our movement." Please therefore

make a newsletter of the information that follows for

all-ISKCON distribution.

 

Our Krsna conscious farms, like New Vrindaban, are

producing much ghee. This ghee should be distributed

at a fee to the different centers, and once

restaurants begin opening, the ghee will be one of

their prime materials. Other supplies such as

vegetables, grains, etc., can be obtained locally.

 

The restaurants could be cafeteria-style. The food is

kept out on counters and people approach in a line

with a tray and take what they want. Prabhupada

proposed that there should be one charge and that if a

person takes more than another person, he is not

charged more -- as much as you like for a certain fee.

But there should be no waste. A person should take

what he can eat. One devotee, hearing this, said,

"Prabhupada, I think people will be carrying samosas

home in their pockets.No," he said, "it is a

business. Only what they can eat. But they don't get

charged more for eating more, like in a hotel, where

immediately there is a bill if you eat more."

 

We can also make home deliveries. Food is cooked

fresh, and as it is taken, more fresh batches are put

on the counter. Always fresh. There will be about

twenty sweet preparations, and twenty salty

preparations like samosas (made with potatoes, peas,

cauliflower, white flour, and ghee) and kacauris, etc.

The vegetable preps must be served hot. Everything

should be so clean that not even a single fly should

be seen. After the first batch of prasadam is made, it

will be offered to Lord Caitanya with arati, then the

prasadam for the rest of the day will be considered

offered. Smoking, of course, is prohibited in the

restaurant. Tapes can play of our kirtanas. The idea

is that people who will not come to our temples will

come and eat at our restaurants and will be eating

prasadam and hearing. Also it will engage men, our

devotees in varieties of pursuits -- not that without

engagement men should eat in our temples in the name

of devotional service. Hare Krsna Restaurant! The

name, Srila Prabhupada said, should also be fully

registered so that others may not imitate.

 

Foods cooked in ghee, foods cooked in water, all the

standard varieties will be there. Foods cooked in ghee

are especially wonderful and healthful. People should

come and be relaxed, eat, and talk relaxed. See how

nice Krsna consciousness is. There will be a small

book and record store in the restaurant.

 

Devotees will do all the work in the restaurant. We

can even import an expert Indian cook if necessary. At

the end of the day everything must be thoroughly

washed down and no leftovers. No prasadam will be

given away free. At a certain hour, at the end of the

day, the leftovers can be sold half price or some even

given away. But the venture has to be an economically

profitable business.

 

Start out the business small and train up men on one

restaurant. Then you can expand gradually. You can

give them nice drinks. Masala milk, made with small

quantities of ginger, saffron, pepper, and cinnamon

can be served hot, and cold juices. No tea is served.

Yogurt can be made from hot milk and, when drunk as

whey, it is very good for digestion.

 

 

"It is very good idea for people to come to our

vegetarian restaurant and take so many nice things,

especially the panir, fried cheese, and sandesa,

kacauri, rasagulla, samosa, and in this way forget

their meat-eating. If you make a soup like fried panir

with asafetida and ginger, this will replace lobster

soup nonsense. Of course, we are not interested in

giving them vegetarian food; we are wanting to give

them prasadam. Then gradually they will become

devotees."

 

-- Letter of November 9, 1975

 

 

 

"I want that all householders be engaged in managing

these restaurants."

 

-- Letter of July 20, 1975

 

 

"Regarding the restaurant, you should not name it as

you have suggested but 'Hare Krsna Restaurant.' That

should be the name. In each restaurant there should be

the picture of Lord Caitanya, and the food should be

offered and distributed to the respected customers.

There should also be a tape recorder playing the

sankirtana in mild voice."

-- Letter of August 16, 1974

 

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, letter, while serving as

secretary to Srila Prabhupada, June 18, 1974; letter

to Tusta Krsna dasa, November 9, 1975; letter to Batu

Gopala dasa, August 16, 1974.

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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