A South Delhi restaurant that has been facing online backlash since Thursday for a sexist signboard that said it didn’t “serve women” and suggested patrons to “bring their own”, on Saturday defended its statement by saying it was all in “light humour”.
A restaurant and bar that serves Mediterranean cuisine in Hauz Khas Village, Imperfecto has been called out for a chalkboard sign outside its premises that read “We don’t serve women. You must bring your own”. A Twitter user, Raja Sen, posted a picture of the sign on Thursday, igniting an online debate on sexism. The photo was shared on Facebook groups and retweeted on Twitter dozens of times.
On Saturday, one of the owners of the restaurant, Sharad Madan, replied to a post on a private Facebook group for foodies to apologise for the sign.
“To begin with we would like to apologise if we hurt any sentiments. It was a post we saw online and felt like sharing. It was completely unintentional. However our intention was just the Light humour (sic),” wrote Mr. Madan.
He added that the restaurant frequently used “quirky one-liners”, and this time it was without understanding what the consequences would be.
“We respect women and that is evident in our policy where we ensure our team has more of women as compared to men. Our head chef and co founder is a woman and a mother figure to all of us(sic),” he wrote.
Though he apologised three times in the post, Mr. Madan also wrote that there could be another meaning to the statement.
“At the same time if you consider the glass to be half full, the quote can also refrain those that come with wrong intentions from harbouring the same while at Imperfecto and Hkv (sic),” wrote Mr. Madan.
The apology doesn’t seem to have worked for activists who termed the signboard sexist.
Kavita Krishnan, the secretary of the All-India Progressive Women’s Association, said the sign was a part of the larger discourse happening in the country.
“On one hand we talk of Bharat Mata, and on the other there are these statements that equate women with food and properties,” said Ms. Krishnan.
She added that she was not calling for a ban or legal action against the restaurant, but a conversation about sexism.
Recently, the restaurant chain Nando’s got into trouble for advertisements in national newspapers. The advertisement had a picture of a grilled chicken dish with “We don’t mind if you touch our buns, or breasts, or even our thighs. Whatever you’re into, enjoying any Nando’s meal with your hands is always recommended,” written underneath. The South African company eventually apologised.
