Bengaluru’s Beloved Cafe, Cuppa, Uses Social Distancing Norms to Provide A Platform For Local Artists and Designers.
The pandemic has created many issues for hospitality brands and local artists. Cuppa, Bengaluru’s beloved cafe for over a decade, is implementing social distancing at its cafe in a unique manner – using the ‘middle tables’ to provide a platform for local designers to showcase their products. As a part of hygiene protocols, restaurants and cafes can allow seating on alternate tables only, to follow social distancing norms.
Instead of bare tables, Cuppa decided to use mannequins to create pathways and the required distance between tables. The empty tables will also carry products from various artists in the city, ranging from stationery, handicrafts, jewellery and more, while the mannequins will be clothed in designs from Bengaluru’s upcoming fashion designers. Given its proximity to NIFT, the cafe also intends to allow students to showcase their work at the cafe.
“At Cuppa, we’ve always believed in supporting local artists of all kinds. Before the lockdown, we had standup comedy nights and musicians performing here. However, in light of the current pandemic, we realise that the usual avenues for artists are closed but we could become a new avenue. We are providing a safe, sanitised environment for our patrons to hang out. And instead of leaving the tables bare, we could make this a platform for artists to sell their work,” Visakh Vishwambharan, Director, Cuppa said on this initiative.
Cuppa has always believed in supporting local communities. During the lockdown, Cuppa’s kitchen supplied over 10,000 packets of food to migrant workers, slum dwellers and other people in need of support.
“We’ve always been about experiences. Each of our cafes has a different theme, which is meant to create different experiences for our customers. Dining out, we’ve always believed, is also about experiences. Catching up with friends, enjoying a meal. Now, we want to bring in the arts and culture experience, and of course, the shopping experience at your favourite cafe, Cuppa,” Vijay Sreedhar, Director, Cuppa added.
Set up in 2008, Cuppa is redefining the amalgamation of food love and a healthy lifestyle. The brand was bought over by Visakh Viswambharan and Vijay Sreedhar in late 2018. Cuppa has over 8 locations across Bangalore and plans on expanding to other parts of the country.
Currently, the cafe is hosting stationery by @iktaara_kjgupta, handicrafts by @Vrtta.fullcircle, crockery by @Ta.da.insta, candles & soaps by @Niyaa_creations, designer clothing by @Saldanha_label and @Roopalibofficial and coffee by @mcafe_roasters.
