New Delhi, May 28, 2026: District by Zomato, the going out platform announced the launch of the Inclusive Dining Toolkit for restaurants. A first-of-its-kind initiative designed to enable restaurants to make dining experiences more accessible for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), the elderly, pregnant women and others.
Developed in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Samarthyam, and The Association of People with Disability and in consultation with persons with disabilities, restaurant partners and accessibility experts, the toolkit aims to help restaurants identify accessibility gaps, make practical improvements and provide diners with better visibility into accessibility-related information. Beyond enabling an inclusive dining experience, the toolkit also highlights how accessibility can help unlock higher footfall, encourage repeat visits and become preferred spaces for gatherings and celebrations.
Shri B. L. Verma, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment noted in his message, “Accessibility and inclusion encompass all aspects of everyday life. Dining establishments are important public spaces, and it is essential that they are designed and operated in a manner that enables persons with disabilities to participate independently, safely, and with dignity. The Inclusive Dining Toolkit developed by District by Zomato is a valuable initiative that provides practical guidance to the hospitality and restaurant sector towards building environments that are truly welcoming and accessible to all. Creating an inclusive society requires collective efforts from government, industry, and the community, and I encourage all restaurants and hospitality establishments to utilise this Toolkit as a practical resource.”
The launch event was graced and addressed by the Additional Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ms. Manmeet Kaur Nanda as the Chief Guest.
Ms. Manmeet Kaur Nanda, Additional Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, as Chief Guest said, “2026 is no ordinary year for the PwD movement. It marks over a decade since India enacted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and launched the Accessible India Campaign, Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. Today, there are many initiatives that give us hope for the future. Across industries, we are seeing encouraging progress in accessibility, and we are moving in the right direction. At the same time, there is still much more to be done. District by Zomato’s Inclusive Dining Toolkit reflects a larger movement towards creating spaces where participation is truly accessible and inclusive for everyone. Inclusion must become the norm, not the exception. The true measure of a Viksit society lies in how inclusive its infrastructure, experiences, and opportunities are for every citizen.”
India is home to over 2.68 crore persons with disabilities, many of whom continue to face uncertainty while dining out due to inaccessible infrastructure and lack of information. They often return to familiar places because trying new restaurants comes with too many unknowns around accessibility and ease of movement. Restaurant partners, when consulted, expressed willingness to build more welcoming spaces. But limited operational guidance, awareness and infrastructure constraints, particularly in leased properties, continue to pose challenges. The toolkit aims to bridge this gap by taking forward District’s larger vision of enabling access to inclusive world-class going-out experiences.
District has also introduced a range of accessibility-focused features on its platform, including:
- Improved support for screen-reader users
- Accessibility filter on the Dining page
- Discover accessible dining with curated AI recommendations
- Wheelchair and elevator accessibility listed under the Facilities section on the restaurant page
- Select ‘Special Assistance Needs’ under ‘Add a special request’ while reviewing table booking
Commenting on the launch, Rahul Ganjoo, CEO, District by Zomato, said, “We often celebrate restaurants for bringing people together. But we rarely ask whether everyone can comfortably enter a space, move through the space, read the menu, and feel independent while doing so. The Inclusive Dining Toolkit aims to close this gap. We’ve designed this to be a quality resource for restaurants to build experiences that are more thoughtful, inclusive and better for everyone, regardless of their needs.”
Sharing her lived experience as a person with visual impairment at the event, Ms. Meenakshi Chaturvedi, said, “Making our spaces accessible is not a technical hurdle. It is about understanding that sharing a meal is a universal joy, and no one should be left out of that experience. It is the thoughtfulness and empathy we bring that can truly change a person’s experience. Don’t just serve us food, make us feel welcomed, seen, valued, and cared for.”
In 2024, the Union Ministry of Social Justice awarded Zomato the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for a program that has engaged over 6,000 persons with disabilities in food delivery . The launch of the Including Dining toolkit and the Purple Star initiative for restaurants marks another key milestone in Eternal’s journey to promote inclusion in India.
