Following the consecration of the Ram Temple, Ayodhya is experiencing a surge in visitors, as both tourists and locals are eager to catch a glimpse of Lord Ram. Popular food chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut are witnessing an increase in business at their Ayodhya outlets, despite not serving meat items on their menus.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) which is currently located on Ayodhya-Lucknow highway is also allowed to operate in the temple area, but they have been asked to serve only vegetarian options.
Restricted Zone
Due to the sacred temple, the city has imposed restrictions on serving liquor and meat within the Panch Kosi Parikrama Marg, a 15 km pilgrimage area around the temple town, which includes holy sites associated with the Ramayan. However, restaurants wishing to offer non-vegetarian options must operate outside this defined area.
Located just a kilometer from the recently inaugurated Ram Temple, Dinesh Yadav’s Domino’s Pizza branch has quickly become a hotspot, as the outlet is packed with customers craving for western cuisine.
Being the first Domino’s outlet near Ram Temple, it has emerged as a prime attraction, pulling several visitors from all corners of the country.
In a conversation with Moneycontrol, Dinesh said, “On the first day itself, I did a business of around Rs 5,000. The construction work is still on. We cannot cater to the customers in large numbers yet. We will do well.”
Awadh Kumar Verma, managing the Pizza Hut outlet in the Mall of Awadh, approximately 8 kilometers away from the Ram Temple, expressed a desire to boom his business near the temple.
Verma mentioned that Pizza Hut opened its shop three months ago and seeing the crowd near the Ram Path, they are exploring the possibility of establishing a shop in that area. The store currently serves only vegetarian food, despite being outside of the Panch Kosi Parikrama Marg.
Talking about restaurants, Vishal Singh, a government official in Ayodhya said, “We have offers from big food chain outlets to set up their shops in Ayodhya. We welcome them with open arms, but there is only one restriction, they should not serve non-veg food items inside the panch Kosi. KFC has set up its unit at Ayodhya-Lucknow highway because we do not allow non-vegetarian food items here. We are ready to provide even KFC space if it decides to sell only vegetarian items.”
Meanwhile, the Ayodhya Development Authority has initiated the construction of a food plaza at Chaudhary Charan Singh Ghat, which is expected to open in February. The food plaza will be the central location for various food outlets.
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