Orange and half café -- for that extra punch

ORANGE is the colour of adventure and social communication, power and creativity. And the new café in D-town “Orange and Half Café”, offers just a little extra punch of vibrancy. Half-extra, to be exact.
Located on the Tejgaon-Gulshan link road, the quaint cafe is in the Shanta Western Tower building. The décor is plush and modern and reflects its vision of catering to busy entrepreneurs and corporate executives who want a quality café to grab lunch and beverages, or walk from work to meet a client over coffee -- hint, a very Starbucks feel.
The most interesting part about the café is probably the philosophy driving it -- to revolutionise Bangladesh one step at a time. The café is a product of a visionary businessman, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, who researched for two years prior to launching the business. Mr. Ahmed discovered that despite the numerous new eateries mushrooming all over the city, there is still a dearth in authentic cuisine options, coupled with quality service. He thus seeks to uplift the food and beverage industry by establishing a local brand of café that could belong in the big leagues with international competitors such as Gloria Jeans.
Orange and Half café employs university students for staff, and provides an emphasis on employing women. It is not only a very new phenomenon in Dhaka for parents in middle class families to allow girls to work as café staff alongside their studies, but also a fresh initiative for a company to actively try change the student part-time employment landscape in Dhaka.  Orina, a female student from IUB, elaborated how explaining Mr. Aftab's vision of women's empowerment to her parents helped her overcome the initial friction from her family to accept her working at a café. The spill-over effect enhances the service aspect of the café experience.
With expertise acquired from the San Francisco-based consulting firm, The Next Idea, Orange and Half offers excellent sandwiches, wraps and desserts along with the usual selection of coffee and other beverages carefully prepared in high-maintenance kitchens headed by Chef William Young from Washington, D.C. “The goal is to turn things upside-down and arrange it better. At Orange and Half, we're constantly trying to twist and upgrade previous practices and food items,” says Chef Will.
The prices are slightly on the higher side, however the quality and hygiene assurance, imported ingredients and attention to aesthetics provide value for it. Popular favourites are the tuna wrap and the red velvet cupcake topped  off with a cappuccino to go. However, their Cuban sandwich, Chipotle chicken wrap and tandoori wrap are also exquisite.
While Orange and Half café is already shaping things differently for the Dhaka Food and Beverage industry, let's hope that we, collectively, start finding it easier to accept new and different things more readily.