Zaika

We are up on Level 2 in the food court area. Being at Kurla West on Pratap Road means it’s always crowded with shoppers and people just passing through. Zaika is right there among all the other food stalls in the Phoeni area. It’s a bit different working in a mall compared to a regular street shop. You don’t see much sun during the shift, just the bright overhead lights. The floor tiles are always being mopped by the mall cleaning staff in their blue uniforms. We spend a lot of time standing behind the glass counter waiting for the next order. You can hear the constant hum of the big air conditioning units all day long. On the weekends, the noise from the crowds gets really loud and echoes off the ceiling. We have to shout the order numbers sometimes just to be heard over the background music. The kitchen space is tight, so we’re always bumping into each other when we turn around to grab something. We keep the napkins stocked up and the plastic trays clean. It’s a lot of repetitive movement every day. Washing the dishes happens in a small back area that stays damp. Sometimes the lights flicker a bit when the mall power switches over. Most people are just passing through quickly and don't say much. We don't have our own tables, just the shared plastic ones in the middle of the food court. It gets very hectic around dinner time. We just focus on the tickets coming out of the machine. There’s always music playing from the speakers.