Local restaurant Himalayan Flavor is offering complimentary meals to individuals and families struggling to put food on the table due to the government shutdown.

Individuals wanting to accept the offer must visit one of the restaurant’s three locations — in Pocatello, Idaho Falls or Logan, Utah. Owner Roshan Kumar said the restaurant is offering three meal options to meet individual needs.

Option one is an individual plate with an entre and rice. Option two is for a family to order up to $40 worth of food. Option three is a community meal-style box with rice, naan, a choice of protein and a dessert. The offer is limited to one meal per person per day.

The restaurant asked those wanting to use the offer to discreetly let their server know when they arrive and to bring a form of identification.

The offer will continue until the shutdown ends or as long as resources allow, Kumar said.

Community members rallied at the restaurant’s announcement on social media, commending the effort to support those impacted by the shutdown and asking how they could sponsor a meal.

Kumar said people who want to donate to support the effort may do so via Venmo @himalayanflavor.

The restaurant owner said the community has been very supportive over the years, including keeping them open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Now I feel like with the government shutdown, there are plenty of people who need our help and we as a Himalayan Flavor team we are trying our best to support the community and the people who are hungry,” Kumar said. “We are a restaurant at the end of the day, and our job is to make sure we feed people.”

Making sure no one goes to bed hungry is a part of his culture, Kumar said. Nepal is known for its traditions of hospitality and communal meals.

“We’ve always believed food has the power to bring people together — and in times like this, it reminds us that we’re one community, one family,” Kumar stated in a social media post announcing the offer.

Kumar and his brother opened the first Himalayan Flavor at 303 E. Alameda Road in Pocatello in 2018. The restaurants offer authentic Nepali and Indian cuisine.