Ayodhya’s Shabari Rasoi restaurant gets notice after Rs 252 bill for tea, toast goes viral

A newly opened restaurant in Ayodhya, named after Shabari, the elderly woman character in Ramayan, has landed in trouble for overcharging customers. The restaurant reportedly charged a sum of Rs 252 for two cups of tea and toasts.

The legend of Shabari, who offered already tasted berries to Lord Rama to weed out the sour ones, is all about extra care. However, an old lady ascetic from the Ramayana was the inspiration behind the name of a recently built Ayodhya restaurant, which proved to be a bad bargain.

The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has given the restaurant owner a show-cause notice after the bill for tea and toasts, which came to be valued at Rs 252, went viral on social media. As per ADA, this eatery, which falls within the budget category, has a deal with devotees and pilgrims to serve them a cup of tea and two pieces of toast for Rs 10 apiece. 

In addition to having 50 seats for dining, the restaurant provides 100 beds in a hostel where guests may rent a bed for 50 rupees each night. Gujarat-based M/s Kavach Facility Management Ltd. is the owner of the restaurant Shabari Rasoi in Arundhati Bhawan, the new multi-story commercial structure erected by ADA at Tehri Bazaar near Ram temple. Through the notification, the ADA has given the restaurant three days to provide an explanation; if not, the authority would terminate the business's lease.

Project head of Shabari Rasoi restaurant in Ayodhya, Satyendra Mishra, said that the proprietor of the restaurant is the Ahmedabad-based firm M/s Kavach Facility Management.  "It's a scheme to make the bill popular on social media because people here want free food and drink. We are offering amenities akin to those seen in large hotels. We have responded to the notice from the authority in this regard," he concluded.