LooCafe is a unique self-sustaining business model with a cafe built adjoining public toilets.
When Monika, a techie stopped her scooter to use a new "free luxury public toilet" in Rajiv Gandhi Salai, she was expecting a stinking unhygienic toilet. But the 25-year-old was pleasantly surprised. "The toilet is swanky and clean with no bad smell. It is unbelievable," she told NDTV. She also ordered a cup of coffee at the cafe built next to these toilets.
Welcome to LooCafe in Chennai. It's a unique self-sustaining business model with a cafe built adjoining public toilets. The rental income from the cafe is used to maintain the toilets clean and stench free.
The Greater Chennai Corporation gives the space for this project free of cost for upto 15 years. The contract can be renewed every three years. Loocafe which has expertise in maintaining public toilets clean builds the toilets and its Tamil Nadu partner Thooya Innovations takes care of the operations. The only condition - the toilets should be clean and odour free and ought to be offered free for public.
"LooCafe redefines the entire experience of using public toilets. We are working on a lot more tech enabled toilets as we scale up. We are putting together our experience in different cities and states in a scientific way to take the entire experience to the next level," explains Mr Abhishek Nath, Founder and CEO LooCafe.
These toilets are also eco-friendly as shipping containers are converted into cafes. "We spend Rs 15-20 lakhs for each toilet complex with the cafe, making arrangements for power, sewage and water. It would take around 15 years for us to recover the cost. It's our way of giving back," says Mr Venkatesh CR, MD of Thooya Innovations.
The complex has urinals for men, separate western closets for women, differently-abled and transgenders.
The city corporation would handover 55 such spots for developing this infrastructure as part of "Singara Chennai or Beautiful Chennai" project.
Madras Coffee House a popular cafe has taken up the first location.
Other leading brands including Namma Cafe, Chai Kings, Coffee Shastra Superstar Pizza are really interested. We look forward to more brands coming on board" said Ms Poornima Venkatesh, Co-founder and COO of Thooya Innovations Private Limited.