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Bengaluru restaurateur conducts surprise inspection, fires 3 employees on the spot: It's sad, but it had to be done'
Bengaluru entrepreneur Abhijit Gupta fired three employees during a surprise kitchen check, citing a strict zero-drug and zero-alcohol policy.
A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur fired three employees during a surprise inspection at his restaurant’s kitchens, citing a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol at work. Abhijit Gupta, co-founder of The Pizza Bakery, Paris Panini, and Smash Guys, shared a video on Instagram documenting the visit and explaining why such checks are crucial to maintaining quality and discipline.
“Surprise check visits keep the pulse of the business real — what you see on paper and what’s on-ground can be two very different things. It’s these checks that keep our systems strong and our standards tighter,” Gupta wrote in the caption of his post.
In the video, Gupta visits two of his delivery kitchens in Bengaluru. The first stop is Yelahanka, where he inspects the kitchen and praises the team’s performance. “Pizza Bakery has zero wrong items, that’s actually outstanding,” he says before leaving.
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Why were the employees fired?
He then heads to the Sahakarnagar outlet and decides to personally verify a customer complaint. Referring to feedback about a pizza, he says, “A customer said the broccoli didn’t have any flavour or marination. So what I’m going to do is order on Swiggy just before we get there, and let’s see if the pizza is as bad as this customer says it is.”
Once at the Sahakarnagar outlet, he tastes the pizza and concedes the criticism was fair. “The customer has a point. The broccoli didn’t have enough seasoning and stuff, so we’ll work on this. Thank you for your feedback,” he says.
Later, Gupta asks his general manager, “How many people have you fired today?” to which she replies, “Three people.”
At the end of the video, Gupta clarifies the reason behind the dismissals. “Our general manager (was) talking about terminating 3 or 4 staff for consuming narcotics. We have a zero drug policy, zero alcohol policy. You cannot show up to work high on weed or alcohol. Unfortunately, we had to terminate these guys just to set an example for the rest of the team. It’s sad, we don’t like terminating people, but it had to be done,” he says.
HT.com has reached out to Abhijit Gupta for more details. The story will be updated upon receiving a response.
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How did social media react?
The video struck a chord with social media users, who praised Gupta for his proactive management style and commitment to both customer satisfaction and workplace standards.
“Good to see a founder taking notes from feedback! That’s how you build a solid brand!” one user wrote. Another commented, “This is just what we need all founders to do!!! super impressed by your move & this series.”
“Real checks keep it genuine. Impressive dedication,” wrote a third user.
“Investigating on complaints and incorporating them into the menu as a priority is such a brilliant move! It's a no brainer yet such few kitchens do it! Kudos to you and the team!” said another.
