NRAI Bengaluru Chapter Celebrates Inclusion and Impact with Mitti Café Founder Alina Alam

• Industry leaders come together to promote structured employment opportunities for highly-abled individuals across the F&B sector

Bengaluru, 22nd January, 2026: 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 Mrs Alina Alam, Founder of Mitti Café.

The initiative was conceptualised and led by Mr Ananth Narayan, Chapter Head – NRAI Bengaluru, with strong support from the Chapter’s leadership team, including Co-Chapter Head Mr. Shakir Haq, Secretaries Mr. Nakul Rajaram and Mr Sharath Rice, Treasurer Mr Siddanth Vinod, Joint Treasurer Mr Dheeraj Kumar, and the entire NRAI team.

During the session, Mrs 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, Mrs 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 Mr Arvind of The Bier Club, Lavelle Road, whose support added warmth and character to the occasion.

The event concluded with a felicitation by Mr 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.

About NRAI:

National Restaurant Association of India is the voice of the Indian Restaurant Industry. Founded in 1982, by L.C. Nirula of Nirula’s, Madan Lamba of Volga, O.P. Bahl of Khyber Restaurant, R.D. Gora of Gazebo, A.S. Kamat of Kamat Restaurants & other leading restaurateurs, it represents the interests of 500000+ Restaurants, an industry valued at INR 5.69 lakh crores. Being the leading association of the Indian Restaurant Industry, NRAI aspires to promote and strengthen the Indian Food Service Sector. The Association in its 42nd year has a pan India presence and is governed by a committee of members and led by a President and Office Bearers. The committee consists of over 30 Restaurant CEOs / Owners representing various national and international brands from the F&B sector. The association works closely with a network of State and City Chapters across the country.