Bengaluru Restaurant Once Denied Entry To Frido CEO And Ather Co-Founder Due To Slippers

After a Bengaluru mall recently denied entry to an elderly farmer from entering because he was wearing a dhoti, a traditional Indian attire, Frido founder and CEO Ganesh Sonawane took to X (formerly Twitter) and said that he and Ather co-founder Swapnil Jain were once denied entry inside a restaurant in Bengaluru over dress code.

Without sharing any proper details, Mr Sonawane said that they were wearing slippers instead of shoes, which did not match the dress code. "True story: Swapnil, Ather co-founder, and I had once gone to a restaurant in Bengaluru and were denied entry because of wearing slippers instead of shoes," Mr Sonawane said on the microblogging platform. In the comments section, he said that they "felt stupid" on that day. "We respected that and went to another place. Didn't call it discrimination, just shared an incident," he continued.

Since being shared, his post has amassed over 78,000 views and five hundred likes on the platform. His post received a mixed response from internet users.

"Discrimination," said a user. Another stated, "If a restaurant is upfront of their dress code, it should be okay. Dress code isn't discrimination. They are not prescribing brands and should be highly respectful of customers even if they deny entry. This is kind of acceptable in finest restaurants worldwide."

"I remember in 2010-ish, malls didn't let you park inside if you came by bicycle," said a third user.

Another said, "Restaurants reserve their right to entry. They aren't public spaces. Can legally set criteria for entry."

"The shoe vs slipper thing is real and a part of dress code attire which every city's few places have and we must abide instead of complaining. I see it a problem for public places like malls, etc not allowing someone in traditional dress is an issue," commented another user.

A user added, "But they will allow a foreigner wearing slippers"

"Name and shame," wrote a person. A user said, "Bengaluru sounds like a freak show"