Pune on my plate: How this iconic 50-year-old restaurant started with a hand-crank juicer

“Our menu started with fresh juices and grew to tasty Puneri takes on world foods. But we always kept our promise of the best quality, no compromises. In a world full of chemicals, Darshan chooses clean food with no MSG, no fake tastes, no preservatives. We make our own ice and use steel machines to press whole fruits for top cleanliness. That’s why families come back for those special childhood flavours that never change,” Sital Ahuja says.

The people behind the plate

In its 50th anniversary year, Darshan is celebrating more than great meals; it’s also honouring the team that made it all possible.

The place supports livelihoods for about 300 families, with deep roots in Bihar’s Gangdwar village; nearly every home there has someone on the team at Darshan or their sister clothing shop, Just Casuals.

“Our staff is our biggest source of pride,” says Vincent, the manager at Darshan for the last 45 years.

In the mid-1970s, several young men worked at Darshan as ‘Bandhus’ (interns) who assisted with everything from waiting tables to cleaning floors. For three hours of honest daily work, they earned Rs 100 a month. But for those young workers, it represented self-respect, discipline, and the pride of earning through effort.

Anand Kelkar, one of the Bandhus who went on to become an engineer in Telco, says, “That Rs 100 I earned as a waiter in 1976 was never just money to me. It was proof that even in difficult times, I could stand on my own feet with dignity. Working at Darshan taught me discipline, patience, and respect for every kind of labour. Long after I became an engineer at Telco, those lessons stayed with me. In fact, they meant so much that I named my son Sudarshan so I would never forget where I began.”

Another former ‘Bandhu’ Vishnu Joshi recalls, “When I received a sudden job offer that required me to leave immediately, I was nervous about how the owner would react. I still had the restaurant keys. But instead of doubt, I was met with warmth and encouragement. That moment defined Darshan for me. The Rs 100 I earned there mattered, but the trust I was given mattered far more. It made me believe that workplaces can be built on faith, not fear.”

Meanwhile, Pramod Kulkarni, who also worked at Darshan, says, “Those years at Darshan taught me that fairness is not a policy but a practice lived every day. Watching a customer drink the same cup of hot milk for seven years without a price hike showed me that trust matters more than profit. It gave me a lifelong belief that dignity and belonging should never be compromised.”

What elicited these sentiments was the fact that Sital Ahuja never saw his staff as employees alone; they were extended family whose struggles and dreams mattered. “A business can grow with money, but it survives on trust, respect, and care. When people feel valued beyond their wages, they give back loyalty, warmth, and commitment that no balance sheet can ever measure,” he says.

Way forward

In 2014, second-generation leaders Kunal Ahuja and Vishakha Ahuja stepped in, driving standardisation and growth that led to the opening of a second outlet in Baner by 2018.

Vishakha Ahuja has now been trusted with the restaurant’s future vision.

“As we expand into a new space, our goal is not just to grow bigger but to grow true to what Darshan has always stood for: people first. The walls may be new, the city may change, but the warmth, respect, and sense of home must remain the same for every customer and employee who walks in,” she says.

(Vaishnavi Gujar is an intern with The Indian Express)