What if you could sit down for a meal at a restaurant without looking at the prices first? Three Indian restaurants are trying exactly that for one evening, taking part in a global hospitality initiative that lets diners decide what they can pay for their food.
Americano in Mumbai's Kala Ghoda, Mezcalita in Bandra and Mai Mai in Bengaluru's Indiranagar will participate in 'Pay What You Can Day' on Wednesday, August 26.
How the 'pay what you can' idea works
The three restaurants will remove prices from their food menus for the evening. Guests can walk in, order from the available food menu and pay what they can. Drinks, however, will continue to be charged at their regular menu prices.
The initiative is part of the Global Day of Hospitality, which will bring together 109 restaurants across 61 cities in 14 countries. The participating restaurants are using the event to rethink how hospitality can be offered and who gets access to it.
For the Indian restaurants, the focus is on making a meal available to a broader group of diners for one evening rather than attaching a fixed price to every dish.
From Mexico City to a global initiative
The idea began in 2020 when Norma Listman and Saqib Keval started offering the full menu at their Mexico City restaurant, Masala y Maiz, without fixed prices.
The experiment gradually grew into a community initiative. By last year, more than 20 restaurants across Mexico City were participating on the same day. This year, the concept is expanding internationally for the first time, with more than 100 restaurants involved.
While the restaurants share the same broad principle, each venue is adapting the event to its own operations and local community.
What diners need to know
At Americano, the event will be walk-in only, with no reservations. Takeaway, delivery and to-go orders will not be available, while beverages will remain at menu prices.
Tables can accommodate up to six people, and each table will have a 75-minute allocation. All members of a group must be present before seating.
The last kitchen orders will be taken at 11.15 pm. Guests waiting outside have also been advised to carry umbrellas in case of rain.
Mezcalita has similarly invited diners to order whatever they like from its food menu and pay what they can, while keeping drinks outside the offer.
'Breaking barriers' through food
Chef Alex Sanchez of Americano described the initiative as a way to make hospitality more accessible.
"Given the state of the world, restaurants with their unique ability to create moments of connection and joy are perhaps more important now than ever. But the truth is that not everyone has equal access. Pay What You Can Day is a wonderful initiative that has inspired us to open our arms to the broader community around us and extend meaningful hospitality not only to those who can afford it.
By inviting guests to pay what they can, we're breaking barriers and building meaningful connections within our neighbourhood and beyond," Sanchez told NDTV.
For these three restaurants, Wednesday's experiment is ultimately about opening the table to a wider community, even if only for one night.