One8 Commune, a restaurant chain owned by Virat Kohli across locations like New Delhi, Pune, and Kolkata recently faced backlash online for discriminating against LGBTQIA+ guests. Yes, We Exist, an LGBTQIA+ activism page on Instagram detailed how the restaurant denied service to members of the community.
A post on the page details how the Pune branch, when contacted, confirmed that entry was provided only for "cisgender heterosexual couples or groups of cisgender women." Trans women were allowed subject to their clothing and a group of cisgender or gay men, or even gay couples were prohibited because they were categorised under "stag entries", a group of people that are not allowed entry across many pubs and restaurants in India.
Indrajeet, the founder of Yes, We Exist, has spoken in detail about he uncovered the incident. His tweets explain how he called different locations of the restaurant and none of them gave a proper response regarding their policy about admitting LGBTQIA+ guests.
The post confirmed that other locations apart from Pune also didn't display a welcoming attitude towards LGBTQIA+ guests, and has called for better action both from Zomato and the restaurant's management team.
Amidst backlash, the restaurant has issued a statement on Instagram where they have claimed they "believe in welcoming all people irrespective of their gender and/or preferences with utmost respect and honour."
"If there has been any inadvertent miscommunication or misplaced impression with regards to the same, we would request the concerned person to kindly reach out to us so that issue can be resolved in an effective and appropriate manner," it further reads.
Check out the full statement here:
Here is how users on Twitter reacted when the allegations first came out:
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)