How a Pune restaurant is rewriting business models by focussing on specially-abled staff, improved nutrition
The menu at Terrasinne on Pune’s FC Road features Indian and world cuisine, besides munchies and desserts, but it is the instruction on the top of every page that indicates that this is a different kind of food business. A diner is requested to order using sign language or point at the name of the dish on the page to the server— because Terrasinne is managed by a team of people with seven types of disabilities, from autism to locomotive disabilities, among themselves.
“We are not an NGO or a CSR initiative. Terrasinne is a business whose model is to promote conscious dining at many levels. It is managed by specially-abled people, follows the farm-to-table concept and keeps no preservatives, additives or unhealthy ingredients in the kitchen,” says Terrasinne founder Dr Sonam Kapse, a cancer genetics and healthcare innovation specialist.
A few weeks ago, Terrasinne received an award from former President Ram Nath Kovind and the entire team presented its concept before the National Human Rights Commission in Delhi.
The restaurant started with an investment of Rs 1.5 crore in 2021 and broke even six months later. Now, it generates a profit and the next plan is to have six branches in India. Coming up is a centre in Pune for standardised training of people with different disabilities. “It was a strategic decision to locate Terrasinne on a prime location of FC Road, where there is a high footfall. We are run by a suppressed community and locating them in an establishment on the outskirts of Pune would not have worked. Here, there is a mix of college, corporate and service crowds. This imparted the visibility that we wanted,” says Kapse.
There are 2.68 crore people with disabilities in India, according to the 2011 Census, and the central government has said that it is trying to create a “barrier-free environment and accessible ecosystem” to enable them to have equal opportunities and a life of dignity. “With Terrasinne, we started hiring children of farmers who had no background of literacy. We started a process of dignified training, depending on understanding their ability to work. At the same time, we made sure that they follow all the hospitality norms and standards that a five-star hotel or restaurant follows,” says Kapse.
The other main focal point of Terrasinne, which draws crowds throughout the day, is to be a restaurant with improved nutrition. “The entire global cuisine is made with local produce, including tacos and pasta,” she says. This has, clearly, clicked as people have become more health conscious and careful about what they are putting on their plates after the pandemic. A study by investment banking services firm Avendus Capital has found that the health food industry in India will be $30 billion by 2026. The Terrasinne menu is designed to be safe for pregnant women, people with allergies as well as students who need to eat fresh.
What is, perhaps, less understood is the potential of having a socially conscious business. The servers of Terrasinne do not always get it right but clients leave glowing reviews and come back for more meals. Kapse traces this to the vulnerabilities and anxieties that everyone has experienced during the pandemic years. “We all remember that, in the stressful period, there was someone who stood by us and showed us a small act of kindness. It could be the person who brought vegetables to our doorstep, made phone calls or delivered the milk to us,” she says. Terrasinne’s free training model ensures that the staff is ready to take up the challenges of new ventures. “We are looking to tie up with companies and cater to building a diverse and inclusive space and do our bit for nation-building,” adds Kapse.
