Less than a year after Kanta Prasad was showered with monetary help following a video about his grim financial condition went viral on the internet, he is back to his roadside eatery. 80-year-old Prasad had an unsuccessful stint as a restauranteur. According to Prasad, he suffered losses in the restaurant business as he spent Rs 1 lakh to run the restaurant and manage to earn just Rs 30,000. The octogenarian said that he has once again started the old roadside ‘dabha’ because he gets good customer footfall.
“On an investment of Rs 1 lakh, we only earned Rs 35,000, that’s why we shut it. I’m happy to run my old eatery as customer footfall is good here,” Prasad was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Delhi resident also said that he has planned his retirement and has saved 20 lakh for that purpose. “I will run this dhaba till I am alive. The day business sees a slump, I will shut it. We have kept Rs 20 lakhs for me & my wife from the money we were donated last year,” he added.
According to Prasad, the restaurant witnessed good footfall in the beginning but customers stopped coming soon after and expenses exceeded more than the income. When asked about why he started the restaurant, Prasad said that he was encouraged about the idea by some social workers including Tushant Adlakha.
“The social workers came and did everything. They only set up the restaurant. I did not know or understand what they were doing,” he was quoted as saying by PTI. However, Adlakha said it was Prasad’s idea and he only helped in it.
Prasad shot to fame last year after a video showing him crying about financial woes went viral. He had received overwhelming support from people and got financial support of around Rs 42 lakh.