#RampMyCity campaign inspires 8 restaurants in Bengaluru to make their venues accessible for all

Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Prateek Khandelwal started the #RampMyCity campaign in the city in December 2017 after he found out that most restaurants were not accessible to people with disabilities.

Khandewal reached out to the managers of eight high-end restaurants across Bengaluru.

These included Farzi Cafe in UB City, Big Brewsky at Sarjapur Road, Ebony at MG Road, Rock Salt at SBI Road, Olive Beach and Toast and Tonic on Wood Street, and Lady Baga and Soda Bottle Opener Wala at Lavelle Road.

All these restaurants have now made sure their venues are accessible.

Khandewal says he loves to go out and noticed that while many places claim to be accessible, they are actually the opposite.

Instead of ridiculing them, he started this initiative.

He sent a tweet to Zorawar Kalra, owner of Massive restaurants, on Twitter. Soon after, Kalra’s team fixed a meeting with Khandelwal and in a few weeks, the ramp was built. Khandelwal got a similar response from many of the other restaurants as well.

Now four out of the six restaurants Khandelwal approached have set up ramps. Many more are working towards making their premises disabled friendly.

Khandelwal has also sent specific requests to make sure that the staff is well-trained to cater to the needs of disabled customers.

He has now directed his attention to mid-priced eateries. He says this is his first step towards creating an inclusive India and an accessible Bengaluru.