The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Bengaluru Chapter, hosted an inspiring and deeply moving session celebrating inclusive entrepreneurship and meaningful employment for persons with disabilities, featuring Alina Alam, Founder, Mitti Café.
The initiative was conceptualised and led by Ananth Narayan, Chapter Head – NRAI Bengaluru, with strong support from the Chapter’s leadership team, including Co-Chapter Head Shakir Haq, Secretaries Nakul Rajaram and Sharath Rice, Treasurer Siddanth Vinod, Joint Treasurer Dheeraj Kumar, and the entire NRAI team.
During the session, Alam shared her remarkable journey of building Mitti Café into one of India’s most impactful social enterprises. Today, Mitti Café operates close to 70 outlets across prestigious locations, including the Supreme Court of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, major airports, and leading corporate parks, empowering thousands of persons with disabilities through dignified employment and skill development.
Honoured by the President of India and recognised by esteemed institutions such as the United Nations and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Alam’s achievements stand as a powerful example of scalable and sustainable inclusion within the mainstream economy
Taking this vision forward, NRAI Bengaluru announced a dedicated training and placement initiative aimed at enabling member establishments to employ and integrate persons with disabilities within the hospitality sector. Members from NRAI, BHA, BBHA, and WMAB collectively pledged to create more accessible and disability-friendly workplaces.
Ananth Narayan, Head – NRAI Bengaluru Chapter, said, “The food and beverage industry has the unique ability to create inclusive, people-first workplaces. Through this initiative, we aim to move beyond intent and encourage structured, sustainable employment opportunities for highly-abled individuals across our member restaurants. Inclusion is not just a social responsibility—it is a business imperative that strengthens teams, service quality, and the industry at large.”
The evening featured several heartfelt moments, including the presentation of tokens of appreciation to the Mitti Café team, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony celebrating the spirit of inclusion and the invaluable contribution of specially-abled professionals to the food and beverage industry. The celebration concluded with a hosted dinner for the Mitti Café team, receiving warm applause from attendees.
The venue, hospitality, and F&B for the evening were graciously hosted and sponsored by Arvind of The Bier Club, Lavelle Road, whose support added warmth and character to the occasion.
The event concluded with a felicitation by Rezwan Razack, Joint Managing Director, Prestige Group, reaffirming NRAI Bengaluru Chapter’s commitment to building a more compassionate, inclusive, and forward-thinking hospitality industry.
Through this initiative, the NRAI Bengaluru Chapter reaffirmed its commitment to responsible growth and inclusive industry practices, encouraging member restaurant outlets to explore and adopt structured employment opportunities for highly-abled individuals.
