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Panjab University turns down proposal to rechristen its coffee house
The new contractor, a retired Colonel, had proposed to rename the cafe as Colonel’s Coffee House; however, dean students’ welfare Jatinder Grover said the firm’s proprietor will have to continue with the cafe’s original name and no change will be allowed
Even as the new contractor, who is set to reopen South India Coffee House at Student Centre, Panjab University, had sought that it be renamed as Colonel’s Coffee House, varsity authorities have confirmed that it will continue to carry its original name.
The cafe is set to be relaunched in the coming week over four years after it was closed down amid dwindling footfall in 2019. But the exact date is not clear.
The tender has been allotted to the firm, Defence Catering, run by Colonel RK Bawa (retd), 79, and maintenance work is underway.
Dean students’ welfare Jatinder Grover said the firm’s proprietor will have to continue with the cafe’s original name and no change will be allowed.
The iconic coffee house, sitting atop the DSW Office building at the Student Centre, has served PU students ever since it opened in 1975, but was shut down in 2019 due to losses.
While Bawa doesn’t have a PU connection, he has been in the catering business for 24 years. “I have run the Defence Services Officers Institute canteen in Sector 36 for seven years, the canteen at the Airforce Officers’ Institute for eight years and the Gymkhana Club for three years prior to this,” he said.
Having retired as a Colonel from the army, he had sought that the PU cafe be rechristened as Colonel’s Coffee House, as he was bringing years of military catering experience.
“Dealing with students will be a new challenge, but I look forward to it and will make sure we serve the best food as per the university’s instructions,” he added.
According to the tender issued in March this year, the coffee house’s menu will be expanded to incorporate different cuisines. Along with the south Indian fare, the refreshed menu includes paneer tikka, cholle bhature, aloo parantha, vegetable biryani, aloo tikki, bhelpuri, popcorn, burritos and pasta. No dishes apart from those approved by PU will be allowed to be sold.
As per the proposed price list in the tender, prices of most dishes will be kept below ₹100. Egg biryani with raita and salad will be the most expensive item on the menu at ₹120 and the only dish over ₹100. The timings of the coffee house will be from 8 am to 8.30 pm.
After its closure in 2019, an attempt was made to revitalise the eatery in 2020. But the plan fell through amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The PU administration had also asked the University Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management to run a cafeteria or bakery in the space, but they had declined the offer.
