Johnnie Walker Steps Forward to Support Impresario’s Initiative

With the pandemic gravely affecting the hospitality sector, Impresario Handmade Restaurants’ SOCIAL partnered with Mumbai’s beloved Dabbawalas last month to service direct deliveries across the city. As part of a successful pilot project, orders from SOCIAL were being delivered by Dabbawalas in Lower Parel, Bandra (West), and BKC areas. As the next steps to the campaign, the world’s most renowned scotch brand from the house of Diageo, Johnnie Walker is now extending tech and safety support to the Dabbawalas. This has enabled SOCIAL to announce their delivery expansion to areas across 12 outposts, including Colaba, Versova, Goregaon, Vikhroli, Powai, Vashi, and Thane.

As part of the initiative, Johnnie Walker will provide sanitization kits - including face masks and hand sanitizers - as well as android mobile phones so that the Dabbawalas can conveniently interact with customers and assist them in delivering food and beverages safely.

Amidst the lockdown, Mumbai Dabbawalas have been out of work because of office closures, making tiffin services obsolete. With work from home as the new normal and a rise in food orders across consumer profiles, SOCIAL and Johnnie Walker have joined hands to provide employment and reassurance to this community through these unprecedented times.

Sharing his perspective on the association, Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & Managing Director, Impresario Handmade Restaurants, said, “Our industry has been severely affected by the pandemic, with many businesses on the brink of shutdown. The Dabbawala community has been the backbone of the food delivery system in Mumbai and was facing equally hard times, so we found a way for SOCIAL to meaningfully collaborate with them to home deliver food and beverages across the city. Having Johnnie Walker on board has enhanced this project as we collectively aim to empower a community that has stood by Mumbaikars for decades.”

Commenting on the initiative Shweta Jain, Vice-President Luxury Commercial, Key Accounts – India & South Asia – Diageo, said, “Johnnie Walker has always been committed to supporting communities, especially those in the hospitality sector and its surrounding ecosystem. Supporting SOCIAL was another step taken to help the Dabbawalas forge forward during these tough times. As enablers of the initiative, we are supporting SOCIAL to provide safety kits and Android phones to this community, with the aim to make their journey to reach the customer more convenient, providing a safe experience for all.”

SOCIAL has also produced an emotional video talking about the hardships the Dabbawala community has faced during the lockdowns, and how this partnership with Impresario has given them a new lease on life. There’s no better way to show each other that we’re all in this together, after all.