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Bengaluru entrepreneur says Bengal, Northeast staff more willing to work till 1 am: ‘We have a lot of Kannadigas but…’
A Bengaluru restaurateur has claimed that it is hard to find Kannadiga locals willing to work late hours in the food and beverage industry.
A Bengaluru restaurateur has claimed that it is hard to find Kannadiga locals willing to work late hours in the food and beverage industry. Abhijit Gupta is the co-founder of multiple successful brands like The Pizza Bakery, Paris Panini and Smash Guys, and as such knows a thing or two about running successful eateries in Bengaluru.
During a recent podcast appearance, Gupta claimed that employees from West Bengal or the Northeast are typically more willing to work late into the night, compared to Karnataka locals.
Locals vs non-locals
“The local labour workforce in Karnataka don’t like doing these restaurant hours, because these are late nights” he told YouTuber Ayush Wadhwa.
Abhijit Gupta compared local employees to staffers that come from other parts of the country. He cited employees from the Northeast as an example, saying that they are more willing to work late into the night because their aim is to earn good money in Bengaluru before going back to their villages.
The Pizza Bakery boss added a disclaimer, saying that these are general statements and there are always exceptions to the rule. “We have a lot of Kannadigas, local guys who work insane hours. Super hard working guys,” said Gupta.
“But it’s far harder to find a local guy who is willing to close up and leave the restaurant at 1 am as it is to find someone from West Bengal. Because the West Bengal guys or the Northeastern guys come here and they are coming with the mindset of, I am going to stand and work late because I'm coming with the intention to work in F&B,” said the co-founder of Smash Guys.
Bengaluru’s darshini culture
Gupta attributed this mindset in part to the darshini culture that is prevalent in Bengaluru. Darshinis are typically small and fast-service South Indian vegetarian restaurants in Karnataka, known for serving quick, affordable meals.
The restaurateur pointed out that darshinis operate for only a few hours a day, unlike the restaurants he runs which are generally open for 14 hours a day.
“Darshini culture is very different. They open in the morning for three, four hours. They're opening in the evening for three, four hours. It's a very comfortable, relaxed day,” he noted. “Not like Pizza Bakery or Smash Guys or any of our microbreweries these days or the larger industry that's open from 11 in the morning till 1 am,” Gupta pointed out.
On migrants vs locals
Instagram users quickly waded into this debate about migrants vs locals.
“Locals have family waiting for them and people from other states think ‘what will I do going to the room, better to stay at work place’. This is normal in every city,” wrote one person in the comments section.
“Let's call out the elephant in the room as well - A lot of restaurants depend on migrant workers because they’re willing to work long hours, live in shared rooms, and usually don’t have much bargaining power. In many places, most restaurant staff are migrants. A lot of them end up doing 10-14 hour shifts for around ₹15-20k a month, often in pretty informal work setups,” another noted.
“Modern business owners should start thinking about employee health, good work practise and empathy towards employees. India is in its next phase of growth, businesses should start automating few operations, next deploy strong process and HR policies. This will bring in efficiency, better work culture and ultimately will show up in the quality of products and services. Better employee behaviour etc,” a viewer suggested.
