Why this Indian restaurant owner in Texas refuses to hire Indians at her business

Customers often expect the people serving food at an Indian restaurant to share the same cultural roots as the cuisine. But a Texas-based restaurateur says that has never been part of her hiring philosophy.

Rashmi Bhat, the Mumbai-born owner of 7 Monk's Cafe in New Braunfels, Texas, has drawn attention online after explaining why she does not hire Indians at her Indian restaurant. Her Instagram video, which has amassed nearly one million views, centres on a hiring approach that prioritises attitude, reliability and willingness to learn over ethnicity.

The video opens with a direct statement: “I don’t hire Indians at my Indian restaurant.”

Bhat runs the Indian and Mediterranean restaurant with her mother. The pair launched the business in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry. Despite the challenging start, 7 Monk's Cafe survived and gradually built a loyal customer base in the area.

Don't Miss:₹49,000 a month for 12-hour shifts? Viral video of Indian worker's life in Dubai triggers debate

In the video, Bhat acknowledged that her approach often surprises customers.

“I don’t hire Indians at my Indian restaurant,” she said, admitting that it “usually surprises people”.

According to Bhat, many diners assume that employees at ethnic restaurants must come from the same background as the food being served.

“When most people walk into an Indian restaurant, they assume everyone working there has to be an Indian,” said Bhat. “But that’s never how we hired.”

She explained that she and her mother focused on creating a strong team rather than recruiting people based on ethnicity.

“When my mom and I opened 7 Monk’s Cafe, we didn’t set out to build an Indian team. We set out to build a great team, regardless of their skin colour. So we hired high school students, college students, single moms, retirees looking for a second chance,” the restaurateur said.

Bhat also noted that some employees had never tasted Indian food before joining the restaurant. Over time, she said, many developed favourite dishes and now confidently recommend menu items to customers.

The video has generated a flood of reactions online, with several users questioning her hiring policy.

“Yes you maybe aiming to set out a great team but setting aside Indians while hiring you are failing to meet the core labor standards as you are blatantly discriminating against a particular race. If labor department knocks at your door, you maybe penalised. Watch out,” one user wrote.

Another commented, “Want Indians to come at your restaurant to have food but don't want Indian workers who can actually cook authentic Indian food for you!”

A third user added, “Nobody can cook authentic Indian food better than Indians. So guess your ‘Indian’ dishes are subpar and don't taste authentic but then locals wouldn't know the difference so it works for you. And of course great marketing tactic as well - look you got so many reactions to this video because you made it sound controversial. No Indian chef, no Indian food.”