LAHORE: In socially conservative Pakistan where millions of women are denied their basic right to work, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has set a new trend by setting up an eatery, run by an entirely all-women staff.
Nestled in a sprawling food court in Lahore’s massive Packages Mall, the busy KFC branch in the eastern Pakistani city is now the country’s first eatery where the cooking, managing, cleaning, and serving is run solely by women staffers handling hundreds of daily orders, with no men in sight except for in the customer queue.
Huma Farooq, manager at the branch is only 26 years old but rose through the ranks quickly after starting out as a front-desk worker.
“In Pakistan, women are taught to manage their house,” Farooq told Arab News. “They do everything for their homes. They clean, cook and serve. This branch is different from the others. Women take it as their home and ... give it their best,” she said.
“We all treat each other like sisters or relatives and share each other’s burdens,” she said.
And that sisterhood seems to be bringing in results in the form of revenue targets, which are being more than met.
“Honestly speaking, the all-female branch is giving the best performance, and feedback from the customers is really encouraging,” KFC’s Chief Operating Officer in Lahore, Hamayun Sajid, told Arab News.
“The idea behind launching an all-female branch was to give empowerment to women and to encourage (other) women to follow the trend,” he said.
KFC now plans on launching more women-run branches in other major Pakistani cities, including Islamabad and Karachi.
Ramiz Khan, 16, a student on his first visit to Pakistan from Dubai, told Arab News that a trip to the chicken joint unwittingly changed his view of the country.
“The restaurant has changed my perception about Pakistan,” he said. “It is my first trip to the country as I was born and raised in Dubai. I can say that Pakistan is not (as) conservative as portrayed generally.”
The praise was unrelenting from customers at the tables and standing in the queue, as the staffers were hard at work behind the scenes and at the counters.
Another customer from Lahore, Sabata Shah, told Arab News, “I love fried chicken and often go to KFC. After visiting this branch, I can tell you that I was quite comfortable here as I was being handled by women.”
“Women from conservative backgrounds normally don’t feel comfortable with male waiters or order-takers in restaurants,” she said. “But here, they will be.”
Lahore’s all-women run eatery sets a new trend
Lahore’s all-women run eatery sets a new trend
- The all-female staff is meeting revenue targets and giving “best” performance
- KFC now plans on launching more women-run branches in other major Pakistani cities
Curfew extended in Gilgit-Baltistan, probe ordered after deadly Khamenei protests
- At least 15 people were killed in clashes with law enforcement agencies over the weekend in Gilgit-Baltistan
- Government also announces a de-weaponization campaign, crackdown on hate speech and cybercrime in region
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region on Tuesday extended a curfew in Gilgit district and ordered a judicial probe into violent protests over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes last week, an official said.
At least 15 people were killed in clashes with law enforcement agencies over the weekend in GB, where protesters torched and vandalized several buildings, including United Nations regional offices, an army-run school, software technology park and a local charity building.
The violence prompted regional authorities to impose curfew in Gilgit and Skardu districts on March 2-4 as officials urged people to stay indoors and cooperate with law enforcers, amid widespread anger in Pakistan, particularly among members of the Shiite minority, over Khamenei’s killing.
On Tuesday, the GB government convened to review the situation and announced the extension of curfew in Gilgit among a number of security measures as well as ordered the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the weekend violence in the region.
“The government has made it clear that the law will strictly take its course against elements involved in vandalism at government institutions, private properties and incidents of vandalism in Gilgit and Skardu and no kind of mischief will be tolerated,” Shabbir Mir, a GB government spokesperson, said in a statement.
“In view of the security situation, curfew will remain in force in Gilgit, while the decision to extend the curfew in Skardu will be taken keeping the ground realities and the changing situation in view.”
The statement did not specify how long the curfew will remain in place in Gilgit.
Besides the formation of the judicial commission to investigate the violent clashes, the government also decided to launch a large-scale de-weaponization campaign in the entire Gilgit district, for which relevant institutions have been directed to immediately complete all necessary arrangements, according to Mir.
In addition, a crackdown has been ordered on hate speech, spread of fake news and cybercrime.
“The aim of these decisions is to ensure the rule of law, protect the lives and property of citizens and crack down on miscreants,” he said. “Approval has also been given to immediately survey the affected infrastructure and start their restoration work on priority basis.”
Demonstrators in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi also stormed the US Consulate on Sunday, smashing windows and attempting to burn the building. Police responded with batons, tear gas, and gunfire, leaving 10 people dead and more than 50 injured.
Pakistani authorities have since beefed up security at US diplomatic missions across the country, including around the US consulate building in Peshawar, to avoid any further violence.
