On social media, he was chastised and told that his behaviour was wrong. Following the criticism, the LGBTQIA+ activity group 'Yes, We Exist' demanded that the restaurant chain make the 'necessary changes as soon as possible.’
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The LGBTQIA+ activity group with the account ‘yesweexistindia’ wrote on Instagram, "@virat.kohli you are probably not aware of this, but your restaurant @one8.commune in Pune discriminates against LGBTQIA+ guests. The other branches too have a similar policy. This is unexpected and unacceptable. Hope you make necessary changes asap. @deepigoyal @zomato - either do a better job at sensitising restaurants or stop providing your platform to businesses that discriminate”.
They further added, "Often it’s the high-end restaurants that practise such discriminatory policies; the ones that you most likely get large sums of ad money from. This needs to end.”
Netizens expressed their displeasure with the case.
Virat Kohli's restaurant chain One8 Commune denied allegations:
One8 Commune, the restaurant chain, denied all of the charges, claiming that their policy had been misunderstood. It stated that 'stag entry' is prohibited, implying that 'individual boys are not permitted.' Taking to Instagram stories, the chain said,"At one8 Commune, we believe in welcoming all people irrespective of their gender and/or preferences with utmost respect and honour. As our name denotes, we have always been inclusive in serving all communities since our inception."