Guwahati, India – The 8th edition of the G Plus Guwahati Food Awards featured a new award category, “Most
Accessible Restaurant,” in partnership with the Young Indians Guwahati Chapter and Shishu Sarothi.
The aim of the new category is to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility in the hospitality industry
and to encourage restaurants to make necessary improvements to better serve the needs of all the customers,
including those with disabilities. All restaurants nominated across other categories, which have dining-in facilities,
were eligible for the award. In total, 65 restaurants in Guwahati were evaluated on five parameters, including
step-free access to the restaurant, availability of lift and/or ramp, accessible seating, accessible washrooms, and
menu in an accessible format, as well as staff sensitivity to support people with disabilities and the elderly.
“A truly inclusive society is one in which everyone can lead an independent, self-reliant and dignified life.
However, Persons with Disabilities are not able to participate equally and independently in mainstream activities
of the society. Through this initiative, we hope to make a small difference towards creating a truly inclusive and
accessible Guwahati”, said Nitesh Todi, Chair, Young Indians Guwahati Chapter.
The G Plus Guwahati Food Awards is one-of-a-kind event that celebrates the culinary delights Guwahati has to
offer in the fast-growing foodscape of the region. Notably, this year the Guwahati Food Awards received more
than 220 nominations under 31 award categories from over 75 enterprises covering the whole spectrum of food
service in the city. The gala event was held on 28th January at Hotel Vivanta and was graced by Celebrity Chef
Vicky Ratnani and Celebrity Host Cyrus Sahukar. The winner of the “Most Accessible Restaurant” award was
Abacus Brewing Co & Kitchen. The restaurant demonstrated excellence in all aspects of accessibility, making it a
great choice for customers with disabilities and the elderly.
“We are proud to introduce the “Most Accessible Restaurant” category in partnership with Young Indians and
Shishu Sarothi”, said Sunit Jain, the Founder & Publisher of G Plus. “Ensuring that restaurants are accessible to
all customers, including those with disabilities, is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business
sense. We hope that our efforts will help to improve accessibility in the hospitality industry in Guwahati.”
“We are indeed very happy to partner with YI for this important initiative, because ‘accessibility’ is a default
requirement clearly mandated by the law”, said Ketaki Bardalai, Executive Director of Shishu Sarothi. “Despite
this, most public spaces are inaccessible and tend to exclude persons with disabilities. Often, we find that this is
because we don’t know what to do, and how to ensure accessibility, and we also tend to presume that the
numbers are not large enough to justify the resources needed. The reality is that people with disabilities largely
remain invisible in public places, because they are unable to come out of their homes independently, due to the
barriers on the road and in built-environment that prevent their participation in society. The introduction of the
Accessible Restaurant category in the Guwahati Food Awards is thus a great starting point to promote
accessibility for persons with disabilities, as eating outlets are an integral part of the entertainment and social
scenario in Guwahati. We sincerely hope that other public places – at least the ones being built anew – will make
conscious efforts to ensure their spaces are accessible for people with disabilities too.”
