Hi all, I had an amazing experience of hosting a lunch for about 20 people independently for the first time at Cafe Zenea, a prominent restaurant in Nagpur. Special thanks to Amar Jain for his valuable inputs and encouragement when I had sought insights through a post before the event. Following was my experience. Before the event Despite my birthday being on 14th, I decided to host my friends on 12th (Sunday) as it enabled me to invite them for lunch: as I have partial vision during the day and thus could have a broad grasp of the happenings in broad daylight. I had initially planned to have the lunch on the lawn adjacent to and belonging to the restaurant but the kind restaurant owner Mr. Sanjay, in order to save me of the unnecessary cost burden, suggested to make special arrangements in the open backyard of his restaurant. Though, his subordinates were initially reluctant (as it would be difficult to organise the buffet outside and it would block two persons to serve us on a busy Sunday afternoon), appreciating my genuine handicap, they kindly agreed. While finalising the menu, I made sure to include the top hits of the restaurant in every course of the meal. While inviting, I made sure to inform the guests of their acquaintance/ friend on the guest list in order to comfort them and help logistically(coming together etc.). At the event Being a touch nervous and les confident, I had requested my closest friend to reach early to pitch in if needed. Though he did reach in time and happily volunteered to be my assistant manager, the kind staff of the restaurant ensured that his help was never needed! Hardly had I reached, Mr. Prashant who had taken my order, greeted me asking about the whereabouts of my guests and apprising me of the arrangements already underway for my party. As my guests came, I briefly introduced each one to the group and seated them close to people they would best jell with. Fortunately, per my reckoning, no guest was bored or excluded from the chatter.. Here I would like to laud the mature, sensitive and polite behaviour of the restaurant staff. One of them was always posted near my chair to take my instructions and save one of my guests the hassle of repeatedly calling someone. They whispered their suggestions/ queries in my ear, letting me the final call. Till most of the guests arrived, one waiter stood at the entrance to guide anybody unable to find the place. I was very apprehensive of my guests not eating well specially the introvert ones, but the restaurant staff served so lovingly that I am sure most people overate. The whole process was so smooth that neither my guests nor me ever became conscious of my disability!! I owe this to the kind staff of Cafe Zenea. I had always known Zenea for its mouth watering food and rocking ambiance but now respect it more for its amazing staff. This experience greatly boosted my confidence and lends more weight to the dictum that the more we experiment and challenge ourselves, the further we will go. Best
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