WASHINGTON – The owner of a Kebab restaurant in Washington DC has been offering free meals to homeless on a daily basis for the past few months, opening doors for an audience that’s rarely welcome in elegant eateries.

“Sometimes they come 15-20. Sometimes nobody. We are waiting God please send somebody, you know,” Mayur Kabab owner Kazi Mannan told ABC 7.

Mannan’s restaurant is located in Franklin Square, one of the many places in Washington DC inhabited by the homeless.

“Yeah it’s tough. I see people laugh at the homeless and might look down on them but if you really look at it a lot of people are just one step away from being this way,” Dawud Proctor said.

Every day, Mannan and his staff prepare special meals for customers at his Pakistani-Indian restaurant along K Street in Northwest Washington.

The menu includes, “Potato and cauliflower, chicken tandoori, naan bread, chick peas and vegetable biryani.”

At lunch time, the restaurant welcomed nearly 20 people who were treated like any other guest expect for that they eat for free.

“Yes it’s shocking to me because I didn’t think there were brothers out there who would help support the needs of the homeless,” said Proctor.

Darren Staton, who has been homeless for a couple years, said this meal and Mannan’s gesture is a blessing from God.

“So we appreciate this guy bringing this food down here for us to eat. Sometimes on Sundays it is slow. Sometimes we got to go around and beg or we get a cup and try to make money to try to find a way to eat and survive out here,” said Staton.

Mannan responds by telling everyone in the restaurant, “You guys are the most important guests for me.”

Kazi Mannan in his restaurant

Food For Shelter

Along with opening doors to the homeless, Mannan makes extra food every Sunday and delivers it himself to the Georgetown Ministry Center where he serves lunch to dozens of homeless men and women.

“I love to prepare this food for the homeless shelter,” said Mannan.

He kicked off the effort a few months ago when he contacted volunteers on social media who spend Sundays dishing out hot meals to the less fortunate like Ron Verquer.

“And they make you feel like you are valued,” said Verquer.

Mannan believes the more he gives away the more God will bless him.

“I think this is all from God because my mission is from God,” he said.

Before Dawud Proctor returned to his spot in Franklin Square he said, “That’s the whole answer to life to be blessed by God and God will help you and I know he will. You just got to make the first step. He won’t do everything for you.”