The Hindu Business Line : Pizza grannies

This is no ordinary pizza parlour. Septuagenarians Jayalaxmi and Padma are doing roaring business to fund their dream of setting up an old-age home.

The sharp trill of the school bell at lunch break sees hordes of uniformed kids rush towards Pizza Haven, a tuck shop on Richmond Road, Bangalore. Amidst the jostle at the counter, squeaky voices scream out their orders even as tiny hands grab scrumptious pizzas doled out by two smiling women — Jayalaxmi Srinivasan and Padma Sreenivasan — or the `Pizza Grannies' as the kids have affectionately christened them.

But make no mistake. These are no savvy entrepreneurs out to make a fast buck selling fast food. Driven by a cherished dream to build Vishranthi (restful place), an old-age home on the outskirts of Bangalore, the duo funnel all profits to this venture.

"I've always had this vision about doing something for senior citizens," explains the elegant Padma, 70, who lost her husband in an accident when she was 22. With two young children to look after and no financial or professional backing, Padma's world came crashing down. She was given her husband's job at Indian Telephone Industries, Bangalore, but it came with a rider: she would have to study cost accountancy for it.

While Padma tackled the intricacies of her job, her parents chipped in to raise her kids. "My parents helped me through that extremely tough phase of my life," she says. "So I was determined to do something in their memory. In today's complex modern life, the elderly don't have devoted young people to take care of them."

Her daughter married the son of family friend and homemaker Jayalaxmi, who too shared Padma's passion for the old-age home. "I thought an old-age home would be a marvellous tribute to the memory of our elderly and make a great contribution towards society too," explains Jayalaxmi, 72. And soon, the two were excitedly thinking up ways to mobilise funds for their cherished project. Even as they were exploring various ideas, butter conglomerate Amul floated ads in national dailies asking for pizza franchisees. "We couldn't even spell the word `pizza' let alone make it, but we went ahead to bag the coveted franchise as it was a means to an end," says Jayalaxmi. And Pizza Haven was born in 2003 inside Jayalaxmi's minuscule garage with an investment of Rs 5,000.

The pizzas were a huge hit from the word go. The product's pure ingredients, rich, homemade sauces, generous cheesy toppings and an affordable price — Rs 20 per pizza — soon had people eating out of the septuagenarians' hands. Moreover, Pizza Haven already had a captive clientele in the boys' school next door and eager neighbours whose palates were craving a change from the staple south Indian fare dished out by local eateries. As business boomed, Padma and Jayalaxmi hired help for the kitchen — half a dozen women from a local destitute home, Little Sisters. Apart from paying them salaries, the duo also agreed to sponsor their children's education.

Things were going smoothly except for one hiccup — with a moderately priced product the two were just about breaking even. It was time to rev up profits, especially if they had to fulfil their old-age home dream.

Interestingly, what finally galvanised them was a huge electricity bill slapped on them by the Bangalore State Electricity Board. The Board argued that since they were operating a business, they had to pay double the charges as applicable to commercial ventures.

With increased expenses, the duo had no choice but to think big. They decided to expand base by tapping the rich minefield of MNCs in Bangalore. Padma approached the MNCs and succeeded in striking a deal with them to supply pizzas. Pizza Haven was offered counter space at about a dozen MNC canteens for teatime (4-7 p.m.) snacks. Soon, the sizzling hot pizzas had the MNC staff asking for more. The duo had to increase supplies and introduce a wider range — Hawaiian Pizza, Mexican Pizza and even a fiery Bombay Masala Pizza — by adding exotic flavourings and toppings. When business boomed, Padma's daughter, Sarasa, donated a van for Pizza Haven's scaled-up operations.

Today, with working systems firmly in place, daily operations at Pizza Haven are conducted seamlessly. Although they have delinked from Amul, their business has not been affected. The grannies' modus operandi is quite simple. As they good-humouredly put it, Jayalaxmi is the `Works Manager' who orchestrates the kitchen-work — making of sauces, pizza bases and grating of cheeses.

Padma, with her cheery, outgoing nature, is the `Accounts & Public Relations Executive' who deals with prospective clients and chalks out business plans. She also loads the pizzas in the van at around 2.30 p.m. (after shutting down the garage tuck shop) and does the rounds of MNC cafeterias till late evening. "We sell around 150 pizzas per day and are able to contribute Rs 15,000 per month from our profits towards the old-age home," discloses Padma.

Generous donations have also flowed in from several MNCs and good Samaritans impressed by their commitment to the cause. And helped by bank loans, in June 2005 the two were finally able to buy 22,000 sq ft of land for Rs 50 lakh in suburban Bangalore. A registered trust has been established and incoming donations are tax-exempt.

"This is just the beginning," says Padma. "We're now hiring architects to draw up a cost-effective plan to build Vishranthi. People often suggest that we hand over our project to a charitable institute because supervising such construction — at 70 years plus — can be quite challenging. But what's the joy in life without challenges? God willing, we should be able to make our old-age home a reality very soon."

Women's Feature Service

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Lip-smacking facts

Unhealthy health business

Making value-based films

Winner all the way

Holding up a `Nobel' example