An Indian-origin restaurant owner in Texas sparked an online debate after she revealed that her Indian restaurant has “almost no Indian employees” and explained why she chose not to hire employees based on nationality or ethnicity.Rashmi Bhatt runs 7 Monk’s Cafe Texas, and she said in a video that went viral on Instagram that her hiring approach often surprises people, especially since the restaurant serves Indian cuisine.“I don’t hire Indians in my Indian restaurant,” she said in the video, adding that the reaction “usually surprises people.”She explained that many customers assume that staff at Indian restaurants will naturally be Indian, but said that was never her intention when building the business with her mother in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When most people walk into an Indian restaurant, they assume that everyone who works there must be Indian,” she said. “But that’s not how we hire.”According to Hatt, the goal from the beginning was to build a team based on reliability and a desire to learn, rather than cultural background. She said the focus was on creating a strong workforce drawn from the local community.She added that the restaurant employs a mix of people, including high school students, college students, single mothers and retirees looking for a second chance.
“We set out to build a great team, no matter the color of their skin,” she said. “So we hired high school students, college students, single mothers, and retirees looking for a second chance.”Bhatt said that many of her employees initially did not have much familiarity with Indian cuisine, but over time they learned the dishes and now confidently recommend meals to customers. Some had never tried Indian food before joining the restaurant.“Our team doesn’t come from the same culture, but they know what it’s like to learn about a completely new food. And every day, they help introduce thousands of people to our food,” she said.The restaurant serves Indian and Mediterranean cuisine and has gained local popularity since its opening. Bhatt said it survived the challenges of launching just before the pandemic and gradually established itself in the region.
