Annalakshmi Foods: Manifesting Attributes of Love, Serve and Give

Abstract

Annalakshmi Foods Pvt. Ltd., a chain of restaurants operating in India, had drawn its name from Annalakshmi, the Goddess of Plenty or Abundance (Annam stands for food and Lakshmi is the deity of Prosperity in the Hindu Mythology). The chain of restaurants was known for its unique philosophy of running a food production and service operation, as a service to the society. There were also Annalakshmi restaurants in Australia (Perth), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Singapore. Annalakshmi had four units at Coimbatore, and all operates with this same philosophy. Due to word of mouth publicity and alignment with noble causes, the restaurants created a niche for themselves. This helped them to continue with their operations, despite challenges like rising inflation and competition. The brotherhood among the members of Annalakshmi helped the members to work on the vision of offering more of their Services to the public. Substantial number of operational roles at Annalakshmi – food production and service, housekeeping and other ancillary activities like transportation and interior design - were driven by volunteers, who saw Annalakshmi as an opportunity to offer their services. One of the units of Annalakshmi ornated the philosophy of Eat to your heart's content, Pay what your heart feels. At this unit, it is up to the customer to decide what to pay for the food he had been offered.

Keywords: spirituality, human values, management, food,citizenship, volunteerism, Annalakshmi, Swami Shantananda Saraswathi