At Gracias Granny (GG), the customers aren’t the only ones who have made themselves at home. The Navi Mumbai café has a few familiar four-legged faces who regularly lounge around its dining spaces as guests tuck into their meals. But according to owner Rashmit Arora, the relationship began long before the café became their home.

Brownie, an indie dog at the Belapur outlet, arrived when construction for the establishment began. “It was her space before it ever became ours. So she’s the one who allowed us in and not vice versa!” says Arora, who grew up surrounded by animals. “At GG, we tell our team that it doesn’t matter if you like dogs or cats or not, being kind to them is the baseline,” he says.