Café Tato’s strategic initiatives: business

continuity in COVID-19 realities

Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya and Christo Fernandes

Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya 1. Dilemma

is based at Department of
Strategy and The day 23 March 2020 was like no other day Pranav Dhuri had witnessed in his life [1].
Entrepreneurship, Indian Pranav Dhuri (hereby referred as Pranav) had been nurturing “Café Tato” for some years.
Institute of Management Pranav had strategized regarding how to grow Café Tato over the years. On the evening of
Nagpur (IIM Nagpur), 23 March 2020 India announced economic and physical lockdown post-COVID-19
Nagpur, India. pandemic from midnight of 24 March 2020 (MHA, 2020). Pranav looked into the stars that
Christo Fernandes is based filled the clear sky night of Panjim in Goa, India. The land of sun and sand full of tourists was
at Organizational Behaviour going to a standstill like never before. Pranav thought Café Tato, a popular café for over a
and Human Resources
century for tourists and locals alike, was also going to be impacted because of the
Management, Goa Institute
lockdown. More importantly when normalcy would return to the world what initiatives had to
of Management, Sattari,
India. be undertaken at Café Tato to return towards again doing normal business as soon as
possible was going to be critical. Pranav was thinking and thinking hard regarding this
dilemma [1].

2. Introduction: “Café Tato” – what it epitomized

Café Tato was one of the most popular and the oldest tea cafés in Goa. Café Tato was a
unique tale of its own with a culinary story which provided food on a commoner’s plate [1].
Café Tato was located in Panaji and in Margaon, Goa, India. Panaji and Margao were the
two large urban locations in Goa (Singh et al., 2016). Café Tato was the manifestation of an
idea which was fast in operations and very popular with office goers, students and others in
both Panaji and Margao and also in Vasco in Goa since the year 2017. In these cities it was
popular as a pure vegetarian bistro. In conventional old-time cafes, seating plans could be
quite cramped [2]. It was a vestige of the days gone by when café goers rubbed shoulders
with each other and enjoyed their food. Café Tato was a café where one could sit relax,
contemplate and converse. Café Tato was a place where people released the stress of the
day over coffee, tea, shakes and other beverages. Café Tato bore a distinguished feel of a
classic tea café where one could walk-in for a quick tea break or for an enjoyable morning
breakfast. Café Tato had a buoyant ambience filled with customers deeply indulged in
conversations while munching on scrumptious snacks [2]. Café Tato was a compact café.
Café Tato was a place wherein people could gather for nurturing a conversation and
maturing it into a narrative. Café Tato did not have a very lavish décor. Café Tato on the
contrary was humble yet elegant and unpretentious place. The food was cost-effective as
Disclaimer. This case is
intended to be used as the Café Tato primarily served simple comestibles like “puri bhaji” (Indian oil fried bread dish).
basis for class discussion Someone could also have a whole meal. Often one landed in Café Tato to savour the Goan-
rather than to illustrate either
effective or ineffective handling style vegetarian thali – a hearty platter that covered really nourishing and tasty dishes. The
of a management situation. The
case was compiled from
Goan-style vegetarian was complemented with sol kadi (a drink), dal (pulse-based curry),
published sources. vegetables, rice, curd and pickle. One felt at Café Tato the vivacious energy around

PAGE 442 j THE CASE JOURNAL j VOL. 18 NO. 3 2022, pp. 442-462, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1544-9106 DOI 10.1108/TCJ-07-2021-0108
bustling with waiters who hurriedly moved all over the place not having enough time to tell
you everything at one go. All in all, Café Tato offered pleasant food, typical ambiance and
fast service. At Café Tato the saying has been depicted in “Café Tato” Sprit.
“Café Tato” Sprit
No one says no to Tato. Any time there’s no consensus among your friends on where to grab a
quick snack and tea, just say the magic word. (Source: Authors)

3. Café Tato over the years

In Goa amongst the locals by the early 2020s it was very difficult to find anyone who had not
having eaten at or had not have heard of Café Tato (or Tato’s as it was popularly known
throughout Goa) [1][2]. Café Tato was started in the year 1913 by Late Mr Keshav Dhuri as
a small joint serving tea and snacks. By the year 2020, it had been passed down to the
fourth generation. In the decade of 1920s it was known as “Hindu Upahar Griha”, which
later was renamed as “Café Tato”. Subsequently, everyone from the Dhuri family members
to customers used to lovingly address Mr Keshav as “Tato”, meaning grandfather. The
eatery was the backbone of the family business during the time of the Portuguese rule in
Goa. Keshav had also diversified into other business ventures including importing of goods
and commodities into Goa. But after the Portuguese left Goa, the Dhuri family, too, divested
some of the diversified businesses and chose instead to concentrate on the restaurant.
After liberation of Goa in the year 1961, the family decided to branch out. It did so by
opening a new venue in Mapusa in Central Goa. However, due to unforeseen family
business reasons the new outlet of “Café Tato” in Mapusa was closed down.
Also, around the post-liberation time, when Goa was undergoing major changes, Café Tato
left Panjim residents craving for its bhaaji as the restaurant was shut for almost six years
because of construction of the new “Souza Tower” building. Once the new restaurant
building was completed, Café Tato was reopened and was back on track providing Panjim
residents with their favourite morning and evening indulgence of puri-bhaaji and other
delectable snacks. After serving people for long in Panjim, Café Tato underwent a major
change beginning from the year 1994 when it was decided to open a new restaurant in
Margaon in South Goa. The restaurant was opened in Apna Bazaar, a busy area in
Margaon, and the restaurant did pretty well right from its inception. The Dhuri brothers also
opened a restaurant in Ponda in East Goa, but because of some unexpected reasons it was
also closed down. The Dhuri brothers also undertook an interesting venture when they took
contract for managing railway canteen in the newly formed Konkan Railway (a division of
Indian Railways). The Dhuri brothers were given the contract for Margaon railway station
which was a major market in Goa [1]. This eating outlet did not only see railway passengers
coming to it, but residents of nearby areas also ate at this place. However, soon this outlet
was also closed down. Bureaucratic and slow decision-making in the railways was an
attributing factor behind the closure of this eatery. However, the Dhuri brothers continued
their efforts of expanding the scope of business [3]. They did so by setting up a resort. They
also ventured into the field of hospitality with the establishment of “Coco Beach Village”. The
resort was promoted as a place for family outing.
By the decade of 2010s, Goa had witnessed a rise in the number of people who were eating
out as an option for themselves. Considering this fact, the Dhuri brothers continued to look
out for options to expand their business [3]. Sadanand Dhuri, grandson of Keshav, revealed
that they always felt excited because of opportunities Goa provided [1][3]. Sadanand, who
looked after the Margaon outlet with his brother Dinesh, said branching out in Margaon was
thought of which was in response to the increase in demand from customers in south Goa.
Though the shop in Panjim was making a good business, customers from other parts of Goa
also craved for the offerings of Café Tato. So, the Margaon restaurant branch was an
extension of serving value to customers outside Panjim. Then, the third branch was opened

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 at Patto in Panjim in the year 2011. The fourth branch was opened in Margaon opposite
“Collectorate Building” in the year 2013, while the fifth branch was opened in Vasco in the
year 2016. Over the years, the Dhuri brothers also conceptualized the thoughts of a
takeaway model as well as a fine dining facility to add to Café Tato service operations.
Plate 1 depicted the entrance of Café Tato.
In Plate 2 the panoramic view has been presented, while in Plate 3 the interiors of Café Tato
have been presented.
Since its inception, Café Tato never emphasized towards an over-the-top menu but always
insisted on providing quality food to customers [1][3]. This approach by consideration of
customer’s taste helped Café Tato to raise its standard. Such was the loyalty of its
customers, that most of them could be seen recommending “Tato’s bhaji” to their friends
and family. This popularity had spread to not just amongst the local Goan residents but also
amongst the business travellers and tourists visiting Goa. The logo of Café Tato was well
recognized in Goa. The logo of Café Tato has been depicted in Plate 4.
The word-of-mouth publicity of Café Tato by the local residents had also brought tourists to
the restaurant for gulping the scrumptious Goan food of the café. From a humble beginning
of small-time eatery, Café Tato had come a long way along over the years. Its customers
had always provided their support and acceptance to help it grow in reputation and
become a name to reckon with. Café Tato too was responding to its customers by widening

Plate 1 The entrance of “Café Tato”

Plate 2 Panoramic view of “Café Tato”

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 Plate 3 Interiors of “Café Tato”

Plate 4 The logo of “Café Tato”

its offerings. Café Tato also had come up with a fine dining restaurant in Panjim and added
non-vegetarian delicacies in the menu to satiate the demand from certain section of the
customers. There was a perfect blend of traditional Goan snacks and contemporary Indian
delicacies.

4. Food service industry in India

Food service industry in India had been a narrative of substantive growth. From the
unorganized set up of the decade of 1990s to becoming a $77bn market in the year 2021,
the growth of food service industry in India was substantive (PTI, 2016). Even in the
precarious economic condition prevailing in the year 2020, the food service industry was
expected to increase by 7.6% a year by the year 2022. The report released by The National
Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and management consultancy firm Technopak had
presented this buoyant picture in the India Food Services Report 2019 (EF&H Staff-Mumbai,
2019). Food service industry in India was characterised by a high dominance of
unorganized players as 70% of the total contribution came from the unorganized sector
(Varanasi, 2021; EF&H Staff-Mumbai, 2019; Team NRAI, 2016; hotkhana.com, 2016;

VOL. 18 NO. 3 2022 j THE CASE JOURNAL j PAGE 445

 PTI, 2017). By mid-2010s around 4.6 million individuals had direct employment in it and
another few million jobs were indirectly generated (Varanasi, 2021; EF&H Staff-Mumbai,
2019; Team NRAI, 2016; hotkhana.com, 2016; PTI, 2017). The surge in food service
industry had witnessed demand in complementary sectors such as real estate,
construction, food processing and kitchen equipment. This had not only contributed to
generation of millions of job opportunities but had also helped the government gain more
revenue in terms of tax and other duties. The driver of this surge could be understood from
the increasingly changing macroeconomic environment and consumer behaviour patterns
(Jha and Bhattacharyya, 2018). The growth of economy had equipped consumers with
more disposable income. This when combined with the dominance of the youth in the
demographic of India, the potential surge in the number of consumers was tautological.
Globalization and its effect in food consumption culture had brought its influence in every
sphere of society in India (Jha and Bhattacharyya, 2018). This was more so in Goa (D’Sylva,
2010). Goa was the tourist hotspot of India not just for foreigners but also amongst Indians
in general. Travellers travelling all across the globe (experiencing cuisines across the world)
demonstrated propensity for these delicacies to be even available in Goa.

5. Food service industry in state of Goa, India

Restaurants in Goa by early 2020s were looking to satiate the consumers’ demand of
delectable food coming from different parts of the world (D’Sylva and Beagan, 2011;
Mekoth and Thomson, 2018; Rosales, 2012; Furtado and Velho-Pereira, 2020; Achrekar,
2019; Venugopalan, 2021). This increased the number of people flocking eating joints. With
concepts of takeaways and home deliveries gaining popularity, food service had developed
new avenues to reach out to customers. These factors had fuelled the food service industry
to make rapid strides to sustain growth. The food service industry was an important cog in
the wheel of Goa’s hospitality sector (D’Sylva, 2010; D’Sylva and Beagan, 2011; Mekoth
and Thomson, 2018; Rosales, 2012). With tourists flocking Goa all-round the year, the
eating joints were a buzz place. Restaurants in Goa served a whole range of delicacies from
across the world in its menu. The range of tourists visiting Goa was considerably wide.
Individuals from different parts of the world like travellers from the USA, revellers from
London, long-vacation-seeking Russians, Spaniards and vacationers from other parts of
India thronged Goa and the Goan eateries. The restaurants in Goa thus offered variety of
dining options to the tourists (D’Sylva, 2010; D’Sylva and Beagan, 2011; Mekoth and
Thomson, 2018; Rosales, 2012; Furtado and Velho-Pereira, 2020; Achrekar, 2019;
Venugopalan, 2021). If the traditionally famous Goan fish curry rice found a regular place on
the menu, then exotic dishes such as chicken lasagna also made presence on the list of
offered items. Besides the more celebrated, beaches, shacks, parties and cheaper booze,
food remained one of the primary lures for the tourists in Goa. The tourists could be spotted
swarming these eating places to grab a bite and cooling down their heels after their fun
filled mornings and evenings in Goa. The potential opportunities in the food service industry
in Goa inspired many restaurants to grab a share of the market. However, with ever rising
competition, it was increasingly difficult to eat out at a differentiated marketplace. Over the
years, few eateries had survived, and these restaurants were truly an outcome of passion,
love for food and desire to live the Goa viva joyous life (D’Sylva and Beagan, 2011; Mekoth
and Thomson, 2018; Rosales, 2012; Furtado and Velho-Pereira, 2020; Achrekar, 2019;
Venugopalan, 2021). The narratives of these restaurants offered interesting strategic
perspectives by providing insight into the factors crystallizing to script competitive success.

6. Operations at “Café Tato”

Café Tato’s success in Goa had been one such story that reiterated the significance of
quality consciousness and customer orientation. Café Tato had carved out a niche for itself
in the mind of food lovers and continued to enthral customers with offerings [1][2][3]. Café

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Tato, which began with mainly serving vegetarian snack, had constantly diversified. Café
Tato was trying to get into other avenues to expand its business. Among many ideas, the
Dhuri brothers thought of setting up a takeaway joint to serve the working folks of offices in
the nearby areas. However, they decided to come up with a fine dining restaurant to give
the diners cozy and comfortable surroundings to enjoy their food in a highly stylized setting.
To add to the offerings, visitors to the new restaurant could consume non-vegetarian food
as well. If the number of customers thronging the place was a measure of success, then the
new endeavour of Tato’s was doing well. Café Tato started out as a local snack bar by
serving only tea and bhajias. By early 2020s it expanded to serving breakfast, lunch and
dinner. The cafés were divided into two levels. The top level being the air-conditioned one.
Café Tato’s puri bhajis and local samosas were the most ordered of all dishes, and the
place was most busy during the breakfast and evening tea time [1][2] (PTI, 2016). During
rush hours, customers waiting often stood near an occupied table for a seat (that was
expected to be soon vacated). This had become a commonplace sight at Café Tato.
Famous for its value for money price point but good service, Café Tato was a true Goan
legend [1][2] (PTI, 2016). It was so popular that often one struggled to find a sitting place
during the morning and afternoon office rush hours. The main product line of Café Tato has
been given in Table 1.
The menu card has been depicted in Plate 5 and a typical food served has been depicted
in Plate 6.

Table 1 “Café Tato” main products

S. no. Description

1 Bhaajis (chholey, salad, mushroom and sukhi, in that particular order)

2 Puris are light and flaky, it almost floats on oil
3 Bhajee (pakodas) – mirchi, onion or potato
4 The singular-form-free “buns”
Source: Authors

Plate 5 Café Tato – Menu card

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 Plate 6 Café Tato – food offerings

Café Tato’s main products menu showcased old favourites like “puri bhaji” with its Goan-
style “potato sukhi bhaji”, “patal bhaji” or a mixture of two different “bhajis” (all vegetable
platters accompanied with a variant of Indian bread). Given the fast-paced lunch time rush,
customers often had Goan-style vegetarian thali which consisted of sol kadi, rice, curd, dal,
vegetables, pickle and plain rice. The average thali was priced reasonably at around $2.
Also, the “Goan cashew special vegetable” was also highly recommended. The North
Indian offerings included “chhole masala” and “plain dal”. In desserts customers often had
milk shakes, juices, cold coffees and ice creams. Goans took their early evening snack time
very seriously as one customer remarked (PTI, 2016):
It is a time to unwind and reflect over the day. What better than doing that with a sumptuous plate
of mix bhaaji and pao.

For most Goans Café Tato was perhaps the most frequently visited eatery in Margaon and
Panjim. This could be attributed to its sumptuous food that came at very affordable prices.
For Margaon, Café Tato came out as a clear winner in the “bhaji pao” business. Café Tato
held a monopoly with the absence of restaurants that could match its standards of taste and
quality. But in Panjim, Café Tato faced stiff competition from other cafés. These competing
restaurants were also more than eight decades old. These restaurants were not just
considered as popular restaurants but also as cultural and historical landmarks. All these
legacy restaurants had undergone substantive renovations over the years, but the
ambiance of a small-time cafe was still there. Sitting inside, one could still sense very
nostalgic and an authentic vibe. These competing cafes were located in the heart of the city
of Panjim and were most famous for its evening snacks like “samosas” and “sukhi bhaji”.
Most famous cafes in Goa had its own unique taste and experience, Café Tato did not have
to do something out of the box to fight the competition and basically just concentrated on
maintaining the high standards that it already had in place, Dhuri explained [1].
The sales and marketing of Café Tato was simple. If you just asked somebody in Panjim and
Margaon where one could get some good local snacks, people would guide you to Tato.
That was how Café Tato was advertised, that was through word of mouth. This meant with
regard to advertising, Tato had done well. Café Tato had built its reputation for serving good
authentic Goan food. Apart from this, the restaurant did undertake initiatives by advertising
in local newspapers when a restaurant started operation in a new location. Ninety percent of
the customers who visited Café Tato were local Goans. These local visitors were from
families (who were visiting Café Tato for the last two to three generations). As the majority of

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the customers were locals, the need for advertising did not arise much as most of these
locals were regulars.
By the early 2020s, Café Tato had over the years became more than just a chain of
restaurants. It had etched as a strong local brand in the minds of the loyal customers, who
could very often be heard recommending “Tato’s bhaaji” to not just friends and family but
also tourists who visited the state of Goa. Thus, such tourists also visited Café Tato. The
recruitment and retention policy of Café Tato was simple. The employees of Café Tato came
under four categories as depicted in Table 2.
All the four categories were directly came under the control of the management that was
headed by the four Dhuri brothers. By February 2020 there were about 30 employees in
each of the restaurants in Panjim and Margaon. The cooks formed the most essential part of
the restaurant and were handpicked by the management as they were responsible for
delivering quality and appetizing food. The cooks selected were highly qualified in the field
of culinary arts. They were extensively trained by other experienced cooks so that they
maintained the same quality and taste of the restaurant snacks and food items. The waiters
recruited were at least having high school education. Thus, the waiters were well versed in
English language to communicate with tourists. The cleaners rendered their services to
maintain standards of hygiene in the restaurants. The assistants helped the cooks in the
kitchen to ease their job by doing menial tasks. Retaining employees was one of the
important aspects for any organization irrespective of its size. The whole process of
recruiting new employees consumed a lot of time and money at Café Tato. Café Tato
preferred retaining the current employees as Café Tato already invested time and energy in
their training and development process. At Café Tato, the Dhuri brothers had undertaken
various steps to develop a healthy work environment for the employees. Café Tato offered
good bonuses, higher payment for senior employees, amenities and also conducted an
annual football tournament for employees to bring in the feeling of togetherness amongst
them. Café Tato had also faced challenges and obstacles over the years. Most of the
problems which were encountered were related to staff issues. Employees often left job
when they got better offers from competing hotels and resorts in Goa. Employees also often
left the job on short notice, and this did put pressure on the owners in troubled situation.
This was because they had to spend considerable amount of time in recruiting quality staff
so as to maintain the high standards followed by Café Tato. Some of the problems faced in
the past have led to closure of outlets in various locations.
The Dhuri brothers were present at the café during all times and supervised all the activities.
They were involved in procuring raw material for cooking to serving the customers. The
Dhuri brothers did not outsource any management level job to outsiders. Hence, the Dhuri
brothers kept the business totally in the family control. The core strength of the Dhuri
brothers was the trust that they had in their family to keep the business functioning properly
and smoothly [1][3]. Utmost care was taken in the items included in the food menu and the
quality of food served to the customers. Café Tato was perhaps the most frequently visited
restaurant in Goa, and this could be attributed to its scrumptious food that was available at
very affordable prices [2]. It could also be attributed to the fact that the Dhuri brothers knew
most of the regulars by name and were down to earth by nature [1][2][3]. When Mr Dhuri
was asked on what were the peak timings and rush hours, he happily answered “it is always
packed” [1]. This was very true as the restaurant was packed most times of the day. This

Table 2 “Café Tato” employee categories

Management

Managers
Cooks Waiters Cleaners Assistants
Source: Authors

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 made Café Tato a cultural spot in both Panjim and Margoan. One often had a happy
surprise encounter with friends or family members at these restaurants.

7. COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges at Café Tato

Pranav Dhuri during March 2020 was in a spot of bother. COVID-19 impacted Indian
business very hard (Bhattacharyya and Thakre, 2021), especially the restaurant business.
Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in India during the month of February 2020, in each of
the locations of Café Tato, Panjim and Margaon, 30 employees were working. Thus, in total,
Café Tato employed 60 employees prior to the pandemic [1]. On an average weekday, in
both Panjim and Margaon, 600 customers used to drop in every day. So there were about
1,200 customers visiting Café Tato each weekday in total before the pandemic. Around 500
customers visited the cafe in Panjim and Margao on weekends prior to the pandemic. Thus,
nearly a thousand customers visited Café Tato on weekends prior to the pandemic. When
the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown hit India in the end week of March 2020, these numbers
immediately became zero. In February 2020, the total number of items in the Café Tato
menu card was 60. Pranav Dhuri had to think through hard regarding how to move from
zilch to something when unlock phases were initiated post the hard lockdown. Prior to the
pandemic only one in ten orders were takeaway deliveries. By August 2020 about a quarter
of a year into the pandemic, the number of takeaways became half of the total orders of
Café Tato. By February 2021 one year post the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of
takeaways were 40% of the total orders served. When the first unlock phase happened, it
entailed the opening up of restaurants in the state of Goa in August 2020. During these
initial days the sitting occupancy was just about 10% of the pre-pandemic capacity. By
November 2020, the overall occupancy became about 25% of the total sitting capacity. The
situation improved by February 2021 when 70% of the capacity was filled in both the
locations of Panjim and Margaon. Pranav Dhuri also dropped the number of items from
the menu card from 60 to 20 items. This was reduced because for takeaway orders, it was
observed that customers ordered only their most favourite items. These could be both
staples like “paneer” items, “puri” or unique specialties. Thus, a scaled down set of items
were only served. By this initiative the Dhuri brothers attempted to protect the margin. This
had to be undertaken because with less demand it was not feasible to serve all the 60 items
listed in the menu card as during the pre-COVID-19 era. The Goan staple thali (a full plate
consisting of a range of full course meal) was started only again during September 2020.
This was because footfall had increased by this point of time at Café Tato. If during pre-
COVID era there were ten paneer items available in the menu card, then during COVID-19
era only three items were served at Café Tato. The Dhuri brothers also never allowed to
associate Café Tato with third-party delivery companies or agencies [1][3]. Third-party
deliveries or delivery platforms like Zomato or Swiggy did brisk business during the unlock
phases in India (Tandon, 2021; FE Online, 2020; IANS, 2020). Café Tato did not enter into
any contract with these third-party aggregators for delivery because a substantive amount
of margin had to be sacrificed to these parties. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and
lockdown happened, all the 60 employees of Café Tato had no task to undertake. Pranav
almost regularly called his employees and encouraged them to be optimistic. All employees
were told to take their own individual decisions. Even though the operation of Café Tato was
closed immediately after lockdown all the employees were provided food and shelter.
During the first unlock phase, employees who went home were allowed to do so and those
who wanted to come back and join Café Tato were allowed to join back. Hope and optimism
were constantly emphasized in the messages from the leadership of Café Tato.
During the unlock of restaurants, these idle workers of Café Tato like the waiters were told to
work as delivery boys. Thus, Café Tato redeployed its workers as well as saved on
providing margins to third-party food delivery agencies. Thus, cash outflow was reduced
during the challenging times of COVID-19. Dhuri brothers ensured that when unlock phase

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was happening and restaurants were allowed to be opened up Café Tato was delivery
ready to customers in Goa. Customers began to order breakfast, lunch, evening snacks
and dinner from Café Tato. Dhuri brothers advised customers that for the breakfast orders,
the evening prior or night before, they placed the orders. For lunch, evening snacks and
dinner same-day orders were okay. Café Tato received continuous orders on a daily basis
in proportion to the average family size. Because the food served by Café Tato was
perishable (like most breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner items) daily orders, a set of regular
customers were getting registered. The Dhuri brothers themselves along with the other
employees would undertake the deliveries. They would start from one end of the city and
like solving the traveling salesman problem, chalk out the most efficient route for delivery
with minimum distance covered and minimum time taken. Café Tato took orders on mobile
phone calls, land lines calls, as well as on WhatsApp call from customers.
Towards opening up the restaurant Dhuri brothers strategized well. They educated all the
restaurant employees like cooks and waiters to focus on (with increased concern) towards
sanitization as well as high level of hygiene. The importance of maintaining social distancing
with customers as well as amongst themselves was repeatedly shared. Cooks and workers
were told to wear mask and gloves while preparing food or while serving food. The cleaning
staff also wore mask and gloves. They also sanitized the restaurant multiple times a day. In
the restaurants (both in Panjim and as well as in Margaon), the sitting area was rearranged
in such a way that social distancing was followed. Most customers of Café Tato were aware
of social distancing and they themselves followed social distancing norms. Employees of
Café Tato who came from distant states of North and East India had migrated back home
during the initial days of lockdown but subsequently many came back as unlock phases
were initiated. Pranav Dhuri felt that reopening in Panjim was easier than in Margaon. This
was because the general customer base of Café Tato was more cosmopolitan and
enterprising towards sitting and eating at cafes physically than in the conservative
Margaon. Also, at the unlock phase, delivery was easier in Panjim than in Margaon because
Panjim was geographically more compact than Margaon. By February 2021, there were
about 15 Café Tato employees in Panjim as well as in Margaon. In February 2021,
the restaurant occupancy was about 70% of pre-COVID-19 context. Menu size was
curtailed to reduce food wastage. “Chapatis” (Indian bread) and “pooris” were selling very
well as these were the favourite of the Café Tato customers. The Dhuri brothers also made
Goans aware about the stringent sanitization and hygiene norms Café Tato was practicing.
Packaging was changed to paper bags for adherence to sustainability practices as well
during these trying times. Post-COVID-19 transactions in Panjim picked up more pace than
in Margaon. But Pranav noted that once the business in Margaon picked up pace it did well.
The fourth generation of Dhuri brothers like Pranav expanded the Café Tato business by
opening a new restaurant named “Petisco”. It was originally scheduled to be opened during
March 2020 but because of COVID-19 context, it was inaugurated only during November
2020. Petisco was meant to serve global dishes in Goa. Petisco was designed with a
compact menu card of just 20 items. Though the Petisco menu reflected global cuisine, the
food was prepared based on local ingredients. Fifteen employees worked at Petisco. The
food served at Petisco was small in size meant for serving an individual. Food was served
only inside the restaurant. Petisco was meant to serve customers only inside the cafe so as
to maintain the freshness of food served. However, as COVID-19 cases increased, delivery
services were introduced from April 2021 in Petisco as well as Café Tato. Petisco also
served innovative dishes and indigenously developed cocktails. Petisco even during the
pandemic did well according to Pranav. So, Pranav noted that he did even expand his
business even during COVID-19 trying realities [1]. Pranav was of the opinion that one had
to accept emergent realities like customers being sceptical to do in-house eating during the
pandemic. Café Tato might have to think out about outdoor sitting and more of takeaways
given the long pandemic like reality persisting over the next few years. Pranav felt Café Tato
through its initiatives was able to ensure both business continuity as well as business

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 sustenance. The dilemmas of what to do and what not to do on the night of 23 March 2020
were both important and pressing. How should Café Tato function was in the mind of
Pranav.

Notes
1. Interviews by the authors of Mr Pranav Dhuri, May 2021.
2. Interviews by the authors of customers of “Café Tato”, May 2021.
3. Interviews by the authors of partners of “Café Tato”, May 2021.

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Further reading
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Vaz, E., Taubenböck, H., Kotha, M. and Arsanjani, J.J. (2017), “Urban change in Goa, India”, Habitat
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Corresponding author
Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya can be contacted at: [email protected]

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