PepsiCo, Swiggy, NRAI join hands to help lockdown-hit restaurant employees

PepsiCo has launched a fundraising in collaboration with Swiggy and the National Restaurant Association of India to offer help to restaurant employees hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown

Beverage maker PepsiCo has launched a fund-raising initiative in collaboration with food ordering platform Swiggy and the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to render support to the restaurant industry employees who are hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown.

PepsiCo's fund-raising initiative #PepsiSaveOurRestaurants is aiming to provide approximately 2.5 million meals to distressed workers of the restaurant industry.

As part of the initiative, whenever any consumer adds any soft drink to a meal order on Swiggy from June 25 to July 19, Pepsi will contribute part of the proceeds in respect of each soft drink ordered to the NRAI COVID-19 Relief Corpus.

"This fund will be further used to provide meals (dry ration) to restaurant workers who have served us and are suffering due to these challenging times," said a joint statement by PepsiCo India, Swiggy and NRAI.

The offer is valid on any packaged soft drinks ordered from restaurants listed on Swiggy platform which includes carbonated soft drinks, packaged iced tea, packaged juices & packaged juice-based drinks and is not restricted to just the purchase of Pepsi, it added.

The restaurant industry is an integral part of our ecosystem and has been severely impacted by the ongoing health challenge. Both restaurants and restaurant workers are struggling, said a PepsiCo India spokesperson adding that it is an "endeavour to find various meaningful ways to provide support to the ecosystem.

Earlier, liquor maker Diageo India had announced a Rs 75-crore programme Raising the Bar to support bars, pubs and restaurants.

According to NRAI President Anurag Katriar the pandemic has impacted every sector but has perhaps manifested itself more sharply on the workforce in the restaurant sector because of the sheer volumes.

The restaurant industry is the second-largest employers of human capital in India after agriculture, he added.

Swiggy VP - Marketing Srivats TS said during these times when the hospitality sector is facing major setbacks in adjusting to the new normal' and sustaining themselves, Swiggy is focused towards supporting the restaurant community in every way possible.

As several restaurants evaluate their next course of action to remobilise their operations, we are happy to support #PepsiSaveOurRestaurants initiative along with NRAI towards striving to ensure that restaurant workers and their families don't stay hungry, he said.