The Toddy Shop

Ok, now dont come to conclusions seeing the post title itself. Well its not any story about my escapades at any toddy (Wiki: Palm wine, also known as palm toddy) shop. I had serious thoughts before naming this post, since I am writing about a toddy shop while the blog title itself is "chai stall". But then, the whole topic is about the toddy shop, so thats that. Well, here goes the introduction to my post. This has been a project which I was working on, not a widely entertaining topic, but never the less, something which I was working on for a month now. I am not planning to complete writing this post within a single day, so there will be minor changes & corrections on the way. Without further due, let me come to the topic. It all started off one day during lunch with my folks. My mom was talking to us about some distant relative who happened to own a toddy shop & has ended up to be filthy rich. Now lets call this person
Mr Chief* ( * Names have been modified since I dont remember the actual ones ). Mr. Chief owned atleast 4 toddy shops in my hometown, which was giving him steady profit. But unfortunately these shops were dingy, dark & inaccessible for a common man. Usually these places are unhygienic that people prefer staying away from it. And this is when I had started thinking bout taking alternatives careers far far away from the mysterious coding world. Any option beyond the coding world seemed like a brilliant opportunity. So just for the sake of irritating my mom, I start planning & making strategies to prove how good I would have been, if I was given a chance to work as a Manager for a toddy shop. Now my managerial interest sprang in & started creating detailed plans about the toddy shop & how I will be managing it. So here is my project on how I would be managing a toddy shop.

Basic Requirements: Mr. Chief ie; investor. Preferably somebody with a toddy shop license.
Land , the availability & location of the land would determine the architecture of the shop
Employees: 6-7 Waiters who speak English fluently & can converse in the local language.
Toddy. The rest of the requirements will be discussed during the course of the post.

Now starting with the construction/architecture of the building, as mentioned before it depends solely on the availability & location of the land. The location of the piece of land shouldn't ideally effect the internal setting of the place. I have already designed the board for the Toddy shop, which is shown at the beginning of the post. If the location of the land is within the city limit, I am assuming we have limited space, so it means an underground parking lot & the shop will be part of an existing building. A ground floor will be preferred in such an arrangement. Even though it doesn't serve any purpose, a slanting roof in the shape of a hut's roof will be placed above the entrance. This should add to the ambiance & give the feel that one is actually walking into an authentic toddy shop. Now,if the location is outside city limits, we can quite safely have adequate space & construct a building of our own. The roof again as discussed before will be a slanting roof resembling a hut. On top of the roof a 3inch thickness of artificial "thatched roof" made of silica cement (the new variety with which we can artistically make shapes) can be placed. This is to give the look of the thatched roof similar to an authentic toddy shop.

Coming to the interiors, dim but adequate lighting. Ambiance is one thing customers look these days in such joints & at most importance should be given while designing the interiors. The walls can be covered by wooden paneling, which might be quite expensive. Again the use of silica cement can be used to give a wood like finish. The seating should be comfortable but at the same time different. An option is to have jute woven comfortable chairs in which one can relax & have a sip of their drink. The tables can be preferably be the thick bark of a wooden with candle light. Use of strategically placed speakers playing the sound of wind, water & the birds can help recreate the experience one gets while having the drink on the side of a beach. The walls can be decorated by articles often related to toddy tappers, like the vessel in which toddy is collected or an artificial pine/coconut tree in the corners (original would be much better)

Moving onto service, in the era of fierce competition customers can be very demanding & good service is not a privilege but a need. The waiters/bartenders should be well trained to behave politely & courteously to the customers. Fluency in English & also the local languages will help not only to cater to tourists but also the general public. A suggestive dress code would be similar to that of a toddy tapper. A turban on the head, a lungi (long cloth worn around the waist) and a beach wear t-shirt should do just fine. Toddy can be served either in earthen cups or even made of wood. Both of these would also help in keeping the liquid cool for a longer time. A live band playing the local soothing music would help the customers have a good time. Care should be taken to make sure that the music should be played at a moderate volume keeping in mind that its a place to relax & take a break. It should appeal not only to the general public but also interest the thirsty tourist.

Finally & post importantly, coming to the toddy. Well I do not have much prior experience to grade toddy, but I would like to stress on the phrase "the best your money can buy". The freshly fermented toddy should be readily available to the customer along with his favorite snacks. Hot & steaming snacks should make the toddy shop not only a place to get a sip, but also delight your taste buds.

So thats my account on how it would be if I be the manager of The Toddy Shop. The intention was to test myself for my management skills & ideas, but finally it sounds like something related to hotel management. After all we have to change based on what the time demands. Hoping some toddy shop owner out there is gonna read this & take me in as the manager, please do visit us @ The Toddy Shop.

- signed, the manager