At Toit, our customers have always been our primary focus. They’re the ones who bring life to the place, create memories and end up giving the place its familiar, friendly vibe.

And there are so many different kinds of people who come through our doors daily, that we wanted to get to know their stories.

The Kudix Mug Holder of the Month is our little way of celebrating our customers, and their unique stories.

Life seems exciting and full of endless possibilities when you sit down and have a chat with our Mug Holder of the month, Pooja.

The question we always start with—why do you think you were selected as the Mug Holder?

I have no clue. Maybe because I’m here most of the time, especially on weekends.

Or does it have something to do with the amount of beer you drink?

Yeah. I drink beer a lot, and 3-4 pints are a minimum.

Are you from Bangalore?

No, I’m from Rajasthan. I moved here in 2014, so I’ve been here almost four years.

 

How come? What do you do here?

For work, actually. I was working in an investment banking company but last month I resigned, so I’m on a break for two months. In April, I’m mostly going to join a start-up.

So, you were in Rajasthan before this?

No, no. Basically, my family and I are from Rajasthan but we have settled in Orissa, because of my Dad’s business.

What does your father do?

He has a business of providing parts that are used in all the steel plants.

How did you decide to shift to Bangalore from Orissa?

My job! Plus, there are a lot of opportunities here, especially in the field I chose.

It’s a nice city, multi-cultured and also safe for girls.

So you think it’s relatively safe?

Ya! Far better than Delhi.

In a lot of other places, I feel like I get stared at a lot. But here, you can roam around even after 9:30-10:00 pm and there isn’t much tension. I can book a cab and reach home safely.

But I’ve been to Delhi, and a lot of my friends also stay there. After 8:30-9:00 pm, girls are scared to go out.

So, that way I think Bangalore is better.

Have you always been a beer drinker?

I drink wine and whiskey also, but when I’m at Toit, it’s only beer. Especially the Hefeweizen and Tint-In-Wit.

You’ve been in Bangalore for four years now—how did you end up at Toit?

I stay very close by, but my ex-boyfriend got me here for the first time.

So he introduced me to this place…and the last goodbye was also here.

Oh no! What happened?

My ex-boyfriend is actually from Paris. He was here for some project work for 10 months. We started dating in 2015, and he was the one who got me to Toit.

But then after ten months, on the day he was going back to Paris forever, we decided to come to Toit.
I was a little depressed.

His cab was there outside, and he was going to the airport directly from here.
We went outside and he sat in the cab and I saw the cab moving. I had to look down at my phone to hide my tears and suddenly someone came and lifted me up. It was my boyfriend! He lifted me and kissed me in front of everyone, which was very romantic.

But it ended nicely. And we are still friends.

Have you found new love?

Not yet. It’s still too soon!

Speaking of new love, has anyone ever tried approaching you at Toit?

Ya! Many times! This one time I was on a date, and another guy came up to us and asked my date if he could talk to me.

My date said no, so while leaving the other guy left his card and said please contact me. *laughs*
My date took that visiting card and threw it in the dustbin.

Looping back to what you were saying about it being relatively easier for women to get a drink in this city, I guess the drinking culture Bangalore has is reflected in most places.

Ya! Lot of people at Toit, the staff, all know us and they’re very nice to us. And if they ever notice anyone bothering us, they make sure we feel comfortable.

When you’re not working, what do you spend your time doing?

I love watching movies and television series. I basically love Netflix.

Right now I’m watching Pretty Little Liars and Narcos.

What’s the big difference between home and here?

Orissa is really calm and the people are very peaceful. There is no pub culture there, it’s entirely different there. I like going and staying there for the peace.

But job wise, there isn’t much opportunity so I prefer being here.

Do you miss home?

Ya! Sometimes, I miss it a lot.

You were working in an investment banking firm and you’ve decided to join a start-up. What made you decide to switch?

Just like that. I wanted a break. Because investment banking is interesting but it can also get hectic, which is why I decided to take a break for two months. It’s exciting! I’m going to travel and then maybe think about joining that start-up.