Cute, cheerful and quite Christmassy, a bright red counter next to gate number six of Versova Metro station is buzzing way past its 8 pm closing time. One mawa cake to eat, two puffs for takeaway, a nimbu paani to sip on — the orders are flying fast, but Ninaad Salvi, who’s noting it all down, is a picture of calm. The specially-abled counter manager, along with an associate, has been manning Café Arpan Express which opened recently. The take-away counter is a new project by the Juhu-based Café Arpan, in a step towards creating employment opportunities for specially-abled persons. Salvi, who learned the ropes at the café for three years, shares that it’s his first time managing a whole space. “The response has been good. The demand grows towards the evening rush hour,” he tells us. 

The vegetarian express outlet is strategically located in front of the Metro check-in gates. It offers sandwiches, hot dogs, puffs, pizzas, soda and iced teas, cookies, brownies and more that are all priced below Rs 100. Most dishes are sourced from the Juhu outlet in the morning, but the duo whip up grilled sandwiches, pizzas, garlic bread and cheese toast on the spot too.