One Marriage, Three Restaurants, and a Temple

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One Marriage, Three Restaurants, and a Temple
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In just one small city...
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...in a big, green, country called Ireland
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Heres the Facts

• The city Dublin, capital of Ireland
• Population of city 1 million
• ISKCON status 3 Govindas restaurants, one
  preaching centre.
• Time taken to reach this goal 10 years

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Even More Facts

• Hundreds of happy, repeat customers
• Income stands at 90,000 every month
• The restaurants fully support the preaching
  centre
• Govindas and Hare Krishna well known and
  liked around the city
• The three restaurants help introduce new people

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Who did it

• Praghosa Das and his wife Goloka Dasi...

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But Mainly Goloka!
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Why are restaurants good preaching?

• Everybody eats and we have a delicious product
• Our philosophy makes more sense after they eat
  -) Our else philosophy doesnt matter anymore!
• The restaurant atmosphere helps us to make
  friends
• They come back for a repeat experience
• Prasadam is special, and purifies the soul

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More Good Preaching Reasons

• More people come through the door of a restaurant
  than a preaching centre
• Once they come in you can gradually decide how
  best to approach them
• Repeat visits allows you to develop your
  relationship with them sometimes over years

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Empty Temple (ok so it was taken at 1am on a
sunday morning -)
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Busy restaurant at the same time!
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Why are restaurants good for raising funds?

• People have to eat somewhere
• People who are not vegetarians also eat at
  Govindas
• Therefore everyone in the city is a potential
  customer
• Good devotee cooks, added to our hospitality and
  uniqueness has given us success all over the world

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So why not at Govindas?
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What are the long-term benefits?

• If run successfully restaurants will continue to
  attract customers and funds
• Customers want to know more and often progress
  from cooking classes to yoga to philosophy
  to devotion.
• Stable preaching centres, free from debt and
  running costs

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Srila Prabhupada on restaurants...

• Regarding the idea of Prasadam restaurant, I am
  advocating it since very beginning. If you can
  manage such Prasadam eating place and the temple
  at one place it will super-excellent. I shall
  personally assist you in this affair because I
  like this idea very much. Our chanting is
  medicine and our Prasadam is the diet for curing
  material disease. So I fully agree with your this
  scheme and you may accept the place as described
  in your letter dated 17th Oct which I have just
  received. 18th October 1968
• It is a very good idea for people to come to our
  vegetarian restaurant and take so many nice
  things, especially the panir, fried cheese, and
  sandesh, kachori, rasagulla, samosa and in this
  way they will forget their meat-eating. If you
  make a soup of fried panir with asafoetida and
  ginger, this will replace lobster soup nonsense.
  Of course we are not interested in giving them
  vegetarian food we are wanting to give them
  prasadam. Then gradually they will become
  devotees. 9th November 1975
• Quote

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More Quotes

• I'm pleased to know the restaurant is again doing
  nicely. If palatable dishes are available people
  will certainly come. Srutakirti is a good boy.
  You can trust him. Cooperation must be there. It
  is a nice idea to sell prasadam at the beaches
  from a vehicle. 14th December 1976
• I have sent one letter to Srutakirti das in
  Hawaii. He has been managing the restaurant very
  nicely in Honolulu and now he can come to assist
  you in opening another prasadam restaurant there
  in Boston. I am enclosing a copy of the letter
  which I have sent to him. 14th March 1976
  Ambarisa
• He is very eager to open another restaurant there
  in Boston. Boston is a very good city for there
  are many, many young people and a Hare Krishna
  Restaurant where we serve delicious Prasadam will
  be appreciated there. 14th March 1976 Srutakirti

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How can I do this in my city?

• It is very difficult as the two critical
  qualifications are
• You have to love Krishna Prasadam yourself!
• You have to love giving Krishna prasadam to
  others!

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Whomever they may be!
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An enthusiastic prasadam giver!
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Do I need to be a good cook?

• No, you just need to know one or two. What you
  do need though is
• 1. Enthusiasm
• 2. Energy
• 3. And a conviction that prasadam is a truely
  great product
• 4. Some good successful recipes too!

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What if there are no vegetarians in my city?

• Like Buenos Aires!
• Govindas doesnt depend on vegetarians for its
  customers, or spiritual people, it only
  depends on people who eat and who want to have a
  tasty meal. And thats everybody.
• Indeed devotees are some of our worst customers!

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How did you do begin?

• We had an initial budget of 50,000 Euro
• We chose the best location possible for that
  budget
• Being local people ourselves, we figured that
  what we liked to eat, others will like to eat
• We chose our first preparations like that, and
  made sure they looked good, too. (People eat with
  their eyes first!)

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Starting Up

• ISKCON Ireland contributed to the start-up
  capital because
• 1. They wanted to open a Govindas restaurant in
  the country
• 2. They were hopeful that in time the restaurant
  might be able to support a centre and that they
  might also get their laxmi back -) (in fact,
  theyve been repaid many times over!)

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Legal matters

• 1. Find a competent solicitor and accountant
• 2. Learn about employment law
• 3. Generally each employee must be legally
  registered, pay tax and social insurance
• 4. As the employer you must follow all the
  relevant laws

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Legal Matters

• 5. Form your company and register the trading or
  business name
• 5. Complete all the legalities of purchasing
  either the lease or freehold of the building

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Create a Restaurant

• Step 1 Fit your restaurant out as decoratively
  as possible and make sure all finishes are up to
  health and safety standards.
• Step 2. Carefully select all your burners, ovens,
  pots etc. There are always great bargains to be
  had!
• Step 3 Establish as trouble free service counter
  as possible

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Environmental Health and Safety

• Obtain local codes of Health and Safety from your
  Governments Health Department.
• Follow them, and understand that many restaurants
  are fined, or closed, for failing to follow
  them. In essence they are promoting suciness
• Train all your employees in Health and Safety
• Get your certificate that allows you to trade as
  a food business

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Advertising

• Best we found was word of mouth!
• Internet is very good and cheap too
• Become a member of the local Tourism Board
• Print, television and radio are great if you can
  get them for free!

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Is everyone a pukka devotee at Govindas?

• To cook yes sixteen rounds and all the
  principles
• To serve they need to accept Krishna, have a
  soft spot for Him and be favourable to the
  sadhana bhakti process!

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Govindas G-R-O-W-T-H

• Week 1 2000
• Month 1 9000
• Month 2 11,000
• Month 3 12,000
• After 5 years 48,000 a month
• Preaching centre planned from the beginning to be
  started above the second Govindas
• Took time to locate the right building and have
  the necessary funds to strike while the iron was
  hot

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The Preaching Centre

• Daily morning programme 7.00 8.30
• Programmes every evening Monday to Thursday
• Sunday Feast
• Major Festival Days and Special Events

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Finally...

• The benefits of opening restaurants far outweigh
  any perceived negatives. Distributing Krishna
  prasadam is so rewarding because you immediately
  see and hear the responses from all your
  satisfied customers. Indeed the public may have
  complaints about the devotees but have you ever
  heard them complain about prasadam? Aside from
  Ted of course
• In addition to that you are able to employ
  devotees in a way that is directly connected to
  our mission. And then the profits can be used for
  further ISKCON projects...

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