By noon on Thanksgiving, the dining room at Taj Indian Cuisine was nearly full. People hovered by the door waiting for takeout orders and kids skipped alongside their parents to the buffet, digging into everything from saag paneer to biryani. Rain pounded against the windows as the parking lot filled with cars.

The restaurant was providing food for all on Thursday, whether customers could pay or not. By early afternoon, owner Sai Guntaka said Taj was on track to give away between 1,000 and 1,200 free meals by the end of the day, in addition to the hundreds of meals they served to paying customers.

“If someone comes in today and says they want a free buffet, that’s okay – no questions asked,” Guntaka said.

He’s been advertising the restaurant’s free holiday meals for months, even setting up a dedicated email address to take meal requests. He had hundreds of pre-orders for individuals and families, but also for organizations like Florence House and Preble Street.

Guntaka said he received emails from customers who told him they’d be alone for the holidays and didn’t want to cook, or that they had hit hard times financially and wouldn’t be able to afford a Thanksgiving meal. Whatever the reason, Guntaka didn’t turn anyone away. Free meals were available for dine-in service, for pickup and for delivery for those who couldn’t get to the restaurant. He enlisted a few regular Taj customers to help deliver food.

Sai Guntaka, owner of Taj, prepares to greet guests on Thanksgiving. By early afternoon, Guntaka said Taj was on track to give away between 1,000 and 1,200 free meals by the end of the day. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Nik Charov, his wife, Xanthe, and their sons Huck, 17, and Max, 14, spent several hours Thursday delivering meals around town. They arrived at the restaurant about 2 p.m., where they were given a list of addresses and a stack of meals.

“We feel like we’re elves in the sleigh handing these out,” Charov said.

“Everyone seems very grateful,” Huck said. “It really makes their week.”

This was the second year the family helped out with free meal deliveries. Last year, they did it on Christmas and enjoyed it, so they decided to help again this year.

Huck and Max said they have been eating at Taj since they were little kids and they’ve come to think of Guntaka as family. They said they were happy to do what they could to help him out and give back to their community.

“The reason we do it is to give back to Sai and to spread our love for his Indian food and to share his food with the rest of the community in Portland,” Max said.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Staff arrived at the restaurant to start prepping at 8 a.m. on Thursday. By 10:30 a.m., cooks were pulling puffy naan bread and skewers of tandoori chicken from clay ovens and mixing paneer over the stove. Most everyone in the kitchen is family. Guntaka’s mother, Hemalatha Guntaka, is the head chef. Sai Guntaka’s aunt is the sous chef, and his cousins and uncles work there, too.

Thanksgiving, along with Christmas and Mother’s Day, are the busiest days of the year at Taj.

Kitchen workers at Taj in South Portland prepare food. This is the fourth year Taj served free meals on the holiday. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

This is the fourth year Taj served free meals on the holiday. Guntaka said it all started back in May 2020 when the restaurant provided free meals for Maine Medical Center staff as a way to thank first responders during the pandemic. It went so well that he asked his staff how they’d feel about doing free meals on Thanksgiving, too.

That first year, Taj gave out roughly 200 free meals on Thanksgiving. Last year, about 960.

The Taj meals include naan bread, an appetizer such as pakora, mains such as tikka masala, chicken curry, saag paneer or vegetable korma and often a dessert like mango custard.

“More people learn about it and they spread the word so we do more and more every year,” Guntaka said.

Rachel Mishra, 40, was waiting for a takeout order about 11:15 a.m. She and Guntaka embraced as she walked in the door. She was picking up food for herself and extra to drop off with friends.

“We keep coming back here because of Sai and his family. They are so warm and welcoming and they do great things for the community. The food is also amazing,” Mishra said. “It feels like home every time I come in.”

Nancy Goodspeed, of Westbrook, fills her plate at the buffet at Taj. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Anish Pithadia, 37, and his family also came in to enjoy the buffet. His 4-year-old son, Aiden, climbed on his shoulders as he spooned food onto his plate.

“For this family to have come here and flourished and to give back to the community like they do is so great. Why wouldn’t you want to support it?” he said.

Free holiday meals aren’t the only charity work that the Guntaka family does. Guntaka and his father have been traveling regularly to Vijayawada, in south India, where they are building homes, a school and a wedding venue for the community there.

Maria Long, 59, and her friends also came to enjoy the buffet on Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve been coming to Taj for years and it’s just pleasant and friendly and the food is great. I love that they’re giving back to the community by donating food,” she said. “If they’re giving back, then we can give to them.”