Bhagavati: In a letter to Vasudev, Prabhupada wrote, “By your example teach all of the citizens to become ideal Vaishnavas, faithfully following the regulative principles and chanting regularly the Hare Krishna mantra. Worship the deity very gorgeously with full attention to regularity and cleanliness. Distribute ample quantities of sumptuous prasadam to everyone who visits Kaliya-Krishna. This program will make us successful.” Vasudev thought, “How can we distribute prasad? We can open a vegetarian restaurant.” When we opened the Hare Krishna Restaurant, business people said, “What will people eat there? Grass? Who will come to eat grass?” But it was very successful. People from the Australian, British, New Zealand, and French embassies came for lunch. They said, “We didn’t know that there was so much variety in vegetarian food. We thought it was only boiled vegetables.” Due to the restaurant, the public became more favorable to the Krishna conscious movement. Now we have five Hare Krishna Restaurants in Fiji.
Reference: Remembrances by Sidhanta Das- Folio Vedabase
