Tiffin service, an emerging trend in twin cities

A significant number of women have started the business contributing to the household economy

ISLAMABAD: The tiffin service, meant to serve home cooked culinary delights by women entrepreneurs to office workers and bachelors at affordable rates, is making its mark as an emerging new trend of food service in the twin cities.

A significant number of women have started offering and supplying homemade food to offices  in tiffin carriers to their potential clients thus helping them contribute to the economic wellbeing of their families.



Noreen, offering tiffin services under the brand name of Haleem Dhaba in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, said, she banked on the idea and realized that people prefer home cooked and healthy food which motivated her to start her business.

"This business never fails, if you are a woman who loves to cook there is nothing to stop you from becoming a successful food entrepreneur," she added.

She said demand for home meals was gradually increasing as people love to have quality food and her prime market targets were working people who have to remain in office for long hours and do not prefer restaurants.

Noreen said the significance of tiffin service was that every individual's needs were catered to as per requirement. "some like spicy stuff while many other people like to have Chinese style chilli free foods" she added.

A customer, Sabeen Ahmed said, "I have to reach office early morning and most of the time can not prepare food for myself and so I call tiffin service and enjoy healthy food with an ease of mind."

The best thing about this service, she said, "is that food offered at restaurants can never be an alternative to the home made stuff." “The tiffin service is a new initiative in country's food industry as health issues were forcing people, especially working class, to avoid junk foods of restaurants and their exorbitant rates were unaffordable for the students class" remarked Ahmed Ali a student of the Islamic University. Dr Waseem Malik of Al-Shifa Hospital commenting on this service said, "The tiffin service is exceptional as food is cooked in strict observance of hygiene and use of fresh ingredients make food different from restaurants".



He added that " We have  unhealthy toxic food choices around us, that is  why obesity, diabetes and heart diseases have become so common in our lives, so I prefer this home made meal which is supposed to be100 per cent pure and healthy".

"Some of the buyers can be blood pressure and diabetic patients and this meal service provides less oily and less salty food according to their need so I prefer this service to make it more wider for access of all, he concluded.  

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2018.