A few days ago, a video appeared on social media of an old man and his wife, who run a small food business in South Delhi. The old man can be seen breaking down on the video, because business has been quite bad due to low demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The old man who is now being called as Baba spoke about how it has been difficult for his wife and himself to make a living. The video quickly went viral on social media and #BabaKaDhaba began trending. The video was widely shared by celebrities, politicians and the people at large and Baba was not prepared for the outpouring of love, help and the surge in demand all of a sudden.
Famous brands have also decided to get in on the #BabaKaDhaba bandwagon and Zomato was the first to make the most of the moment marketing. A Twitter user tagged Zomato on the viral video and asked if they can add Baba Ka Dhaba on their app and Zomato obliged and went ahead and added Baba’s Dhaba as a listing on their platform. Even the Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals, shared the video and urged Delhites to go and help the Baba and his little eatery.
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Pepsi also stepped up and provided a dealer hoarding, a fridge full of Pepsi beverages for free so that Baba can sell the beverages to his customers apart from sending rations for Baba’s home.
Credit managing startup OkCredit helped the Baba by setting up a QR code for payments so Baba can keep a track of receivables and credit as Baba Ka Dhaba caters to the crowd who frequent nearby institutions and trucks drivers. Google has set up a Google Pay QR code so customers have additional mode of payment.
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) pledged to upgrade the infrastructure of Baba Ka Dhaba to make it COVID-compliant. The dating app Tinder also shared a tweet from their official Twitter account to urge others to choose the eatery for their next date.
Although Baba Ka Dhaba has become a hotspot for brands to advertise themselves, the incident will be a lesson on how social media can be a great agent for change and spreading positivity.