Dubai: Restaurant marks Indian, Pakistani Independence Days with feast for delivery riders

With the Pakistani and Indian Independence Days falling on August 14 and 15 respectively, several restaurants around Dubai are offering special offers and menus. However, one eatery decided to go all out and host a very special meal.

Jolly's, located in Jumeirah Lake Towers, hosted a meal for over 40 Indian and Pakistani delivery riders in a bid to spread some Independence Day cheer. Run by husband-and-wife duo, Subhajit and Saswati Rakshit, Jolly's opened its doors just three months ago.

Despite being a fairly new restaurant on the block, Jolly's has been recognized as one of the city's most Instagrammable restaurants. Serving modern Indian cuisine, the eatery has held several themed nights since it opened.

"Ever since we opened, we wanted to do something for the delivery riders," said Subhajit Rakshit. "We kept thinking that these riders transport food day and night, and they never even have an opportunity to taste it. We just wanted to make sure that they get a chance to taste our food."

When the occasion of Independence Day came around, Subhajit reached out to delivery aggregators with the idea.

"Luckily, all the aggregators were completely on board," he said. "At around 4pm, more than 40 riders came to our restaurant, and we served them our special biryani along with condiments. Since biryanis are such a well-loved dish in both countries, everyone really enjoyed it."

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For the delivery riders, it was a well-deserved treat. Many of them were eating at a fine dining restaurant for the first time in their lives.

"It was delicious," said one of the diners. "We really enjoyed it, especially the kebabs, "said another.

• Dubai