CEO Serves Only Veggie Meal on Weekly Offsite, Internet Calls It “Bullying” | Today’s news
Renowned photographer Atul Kasbekar’s claim about the company’s offsite menu has sparked a wider online conversation about workplace culture, employee selection and whether company leaders should be able to impose their personal dietary preferences during official events.
The debate started after Mr. Kasbekar shared a post on X in which he claimed that the newly appointed CEO of an Indian company insisted on serving only vegetarian food during a week-long offsite attended by employees.
While he didn’t name the company or the executive involved, the post quickly gained traction and prompted users to consider whether such a decision was reasonable or restrictive.
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“Vegetables Only Please”
In his post, Mr. Kasbekar described what he said happened at the company meeting.
“The recently appointed CEO (not the founder) insisted on serving only veg food for almost a week away from the business,” he wrote.
According to him, the move was not successful for a significant number of participants.
“It seems that more than 70% of the participants were offended. Which is clearly the non-veg population of the country. (Defined as eating at least eggs),” he added.
Mr. Kasbekar did not provide further details about the organization, its industry, the size of the action or whether employees had formally objected to management.
It also remains unclear whether the vegetarian-only menu reflected the company’s offsite policy or was introduced due to the CEO’s personal preferences.
The photographer ended his post by asking his followers for their opinions on the matter, which actually opened up space for a wider discussion.
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Social media is divided over the decision
The post quickly attracted a number of responses, with users divided on whether the issue was significant or merely a matter of organizational choice.
Some argued that vegetarian menus are already common in many Indian corporations and that employees should not be surprised by such a measure.
“It’s okay, it’s common practice in many big corporations. They only serve vegetable food, not even eggs,” wrote one user.
Others questioned why the staff would object if the food was provided for free.
“So they were given a free veggie meal? And that’s the problem? Did it go against their beliefs in some way? Or against their dietary restrictions? Like I understand someone with celiac disease or someone who’s lactose intolerant saying they weren’t given an option in advance despite sharing,” another user commented.
A personal choice debate
Several users suggested that the controversy highlighted a larger cultural debate about food preferences in India.
One commenter argued that dietary sensitivities often work both ways.
“Unfortunately it’s a way of life.. people who are vegetarian.. I don’t call them ‘clean’… get offended when non-veg is also served. Also the CEO must have been a vegetarian himself,” the user wrote.
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“This is bullying and employees should have the courage to stand up and push back. Unfortunately, the employment situation is so dire that people will put up with the CEO leaving nothing but cow dung and cold urine on the table,” wrote a user on X.
Others took a more business-oriented view, arguing that private companies had the right to determine what would be served at their own events.
“It’s a private company and they don’t force anyone to work for the company or eat the food the company wants to serve,” another person commented.
The discussion also touched on the broader question of how many Indians consume a non-vegetarian diet. One user commented: “If you include ‘eat cakes and desserts made from eggs’, the population would touch 85%.”
