PETALING JAYA, Jan 31 – Waroeng Isabella, the Rasta Taman Tun Dr Ismail restaurant owned by actress Nabila Huda and her husband Mohd Izwan Johar, is providing free meals to senior citizens aged 60 and above.
Nabila whose real name is Nabila Huda Suhaimi, told Malay portal Harian Metro the idea came about from her husband when he saw many senior citizen customers who were willing to queue for long hours to sample their eatery’s traditional Balinese and Lombok dishes.
“My husband loves observing our customers. When he saw many of them coming, he told me that those aged 60 and above should eat for free.
“At the same time, there are also pregnant women who frequent our eatery and he suggested there should be a ‘fast lane’ for them. It’s a pity to let them stand even if there’s no queue,” the 35-year-old said.
According to Nabila, she and her husband also have plans to provide free soup to kids.
“My husband and I started this stall because we want to provide people with good food – I want diners to come not because of my name but for the food,” the Munafik actress said.
“We started this from the ground up using whatever capital we had and until now, there is still no signboard. My husband will go to the wholesale market alone to buy the ingredients and every day is a learning process for us.
The actress, whose restaurant made headlines two weeks ago after unhappy customers took to social media to complain about its service, stressed that the decision to provide free food was not a marketing ploy.
“I don’t want people to misunderstand this intention as we are sincere. I believe those who are 60 years and above should not be forking out money for food or working because their children should be supporting them.
“The most touching part was when some of the seniors wished us good health and success for the free meals we provided,” she said.
Among the traditional Indonesian fare served at Waroeng Isabella includes Ayam Betutu, Satay Lilit, Ikan Gurami Terbang and Ayam Taliwang.
