Bengaluru Restaurant Denied Entry To Frido CEO And Ather Co-Founder For Wearing Slippers

Bengaluru News: In the wake of a recent controversy over a farmer being denied entry to a Bengaluru mall for wearing a traditional dhoti, another incident has come to light by Frido founder and CEO Ganesh Sonawane, revealing that he and Ather Energy's co-founder, Swapnil Jain, were once denied entry to a restaurant in Bengaluru because they were wearing slippers.

"True story: Swapnil, Ather co-founder, and I had once gone to a restaurant in Bengaluru and denied entry because of wearing slippers instead of shoes," Sonawane wrote on the microblogging platform X, though he did not specify when the incident had occurred.

True story: Swapnil, Ather Cofounder and I had once gone to a restaurant in Bengaluru and denied entry because of wearing slippers instead of shoes 👞 https://t.co/1abpg8NBsh

— Ganesh Sonawane (@ganeshunwired) July 17, 2024

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Unlike the case of the elderly farmer, Sonawane did not term the incident as discriminatory. Instead, he acknowledged that the restaurant might have had a dress code in place. "We respected that and went to another place. Didn't call it discrimination, just shared an incident," he wrote in a separate post, adding that he "felt stupid that day".

This incident, coupled with the recent denial of entry to the farmer wearing a dhoti, has sparked a larger debate about the enforcement of dress codes in Bengaluru's establishments.

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While some argue that businesses have the right to enforce dress codes to maintain a certain ambiance or standard, others contend that such policies can lead to discrimination against individuals who adhere to traditional or casual attire.

First user wrote, "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." Another one wrote, "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."