The COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary, and in many cases permanent, closure of restaurants across the country. The ones that were able to reopen their doors for either takeout or delivery were tasked with juggling new safety precautions, rehiring employees, and figuring out new business practices in the changed world. Susannah Dhamdhere, owner of Lassi & Spice (423 Fairview Avenue N.) in SLU, shared plenty of concerns with other restaurant owners, but she also immediately noticed how COVID-19 increased challenges for people in need.
“During the early days of the pandemic when Washington was in the stay-home order, I saw many homeless people wandering the neighborhood. I decided when my cafe was able to reopen, we would offer meals to these people at no cost. The way Pav is Love works is anyone can order off the menu at no cost just by pointing to the sign in our window. This allows us to serve hungry people with dignity and kindness just like they are any customer. Pav is Love combines Hindi and English: Pav means “bread roll” in Hindi. So, we’re saying that Bread is Love, and that feeding people is our way of giving love back to our community,” she said.
