No dine-in but you can still tuck in

KLANG: Soon after the movement control order was implemented in Selangor recently and dine-ins were restricted, restaurant owner Jacqueline Ong spotted some people eating takeaways in their cars.

That sparked her “meals on wheels” idea.

“I wanted to make dining in the car a better experience and decided to serve customers in their vehicles, ’’ said Ong, who owns a Western food restaurant called Moka Artisan Coffee and a Chinese vegetarian restaurant, Namaste, both in Bandar Botanic here.

The first thing that Ong did was to source for small individual table tops that would fit into cars as well as craft out ways her customers could make their orders.

“For Moka Artisan Coffee, they have to walk in to order and wait in their cars to be served.

“Once they have finished eating, they just need to honk and our staff will collect the plates and cutlery, ’’ said the 54-year-old restaurateur.

Those wanting to eat at Namaste can call to order their food if they don’t wish to walk in.

“As Namaste provides soup with meals, we serve drinks followed by soup. After the soup is consumed, we serve them their orders, ’’ Ong said.

She added that the novel method not only allowed customers to eat in comfort in their respective cars but also helped her business.

“I hope this trend will pick up as not many people are aware of our latest dining service, ’’ she said.

Sisters Thong Yeei Yarn, 24, and Yeei Lork, 21, had initially gone out to pack their lunch but ended up eating in their car at Moka Artisan Coffee instead.

“When we found out about the restaurant’s car-dining facility, my sister and I decided to give it a try and we enjoyed our spaghetti and chicken chop seated comfortably in our car, ’’ said Yeei Yarn.

She said patrons who order takeaways can eat their food soon after it’s prepared as opposed to waiting until they reach home and best of all, “there won’t be any dishes to wash”.