Pune: Several diners conscious about hygiene standards sought restaurants’ kitchen tours before choosing where to eat following FDA’s recent action against some city eateries, dishing out restaurateurs a challenge difficult to accept.Restaurants owners said many patrons were enquiring about kitchen cleanliness, food handling and storage practices, and staff hygiene, after Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s raids. A few even requested to see kitchens.Yogita Joshi, a resident of Pashan, said, “If restaurants have nothing to hide, then kitchen tours should be allowed. There should be time restrictions for these tours, but as a diner I should be allowed to see where my food is coming from.”An user on X (social media) said, “Can we have mandatory live streaming of kitchens? Make cameras inside kitchens connected to a YT (YouTube) livestream mandatory so that everything is stored and anyone can check.”Restaurateurs categorically said it was impossible to cater to these demands because it would become very difficult to do business. “We can’t have diners barging into the kitchen. How can we concentrate and deliver orders if we have diners walking in and out? Apart from the authorised staff, only the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) or police personnel can go into the kitchen,” said a restaurant owner at Camp.“There have been instances of some food influencers and ‘Swayam Sevaks’ wanting to go into restaurants’ kitchens and film these. Restaurants reserve the right to admission to the kitchen, and no one really allows it,” said a restaurant owner in Kothrud.Raksha Sethi from Wanowrie said, “With the kind of FDA checks and licence suspensions happening, as a diner I am definitely having trust issues. I prefer to eat at restaurants with open kitchens or see-through kitchens.”Advocate Ajinkya Udane, legal head, NRAI (National Restaurant Association of India) Pune, said, “Many of our members have brought to our notice these requests from diners. We are checking with authorities on what best can be done. We are committed to provide diners with the best quality food.”
