The management of the iconic 86-year-old Kake-Da-Hotel in Connaught Place is crying foul after a video has emerged allegedly showing one of its staff members “kneading dough with his feet”.
The management of the restaurant has claimed that the video, shot from across the road from the restaurant, was done with malicious intent to malign the reputation of the eatery by some of his rivals.
Arun Chopra, second-generation owner of Kake-Da-Hotel, told The Sunday Guardian that he and his hotel are being victimised for no fault of his or his staff. “The video that has emerged does not show my staff kneading dough; he was washing his apron for the next day. Why would he knead dough with his feet when we have machines for kneading?”
The business of the restaurant has also been heavily affected after the video was circulated on social media. When The Sunday Guardian visited the restaurant on Friday afternoon to assess the situation, the restaurant, which is otherwise heavily crowded during lunch time, was almost empty.
“Our business has been heavily affected due to the entire controversy. We are losing business. We have made efforts throughout our journey to give the best food to the people who love the taste of Kake-Da-Hotel. We have been maintaining the taste for generations. Having said that, I would also like to point out that we do not compromise on our hygiene. Our staff here wears caps, gloves and masks at all times. Despite all this, we are being made a target for no reason,” Chopra added.
Following the controversy, authorities of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) raided the restaurant earlier this week and collected food samples from the restaurant. The FSSAI had also allegedly pasted a notice for closure of the restaurant on the same day.
However, the restaurant owner claims that the FSSAI is acting at the behest of some of his rivals in the vicinity and as a result targeting his business. “We have been serving food here for generations, and even earlier, the FSSAI had collected samples, but nothing was found wrong in our food. But now they (FSSAI) are acting as if we are wrong, without even proving it. An officer of the FSSAI had also called me to his office and abused me for no reason. This clearly shows that I am vindicated.”