As the calendar flips to September, a crucial global initiative comes into focus: World Suicide Prevention Month. While there has been a stigma about reaching a mental health professional and seeking therapy, a quaint little cafe in Chandigarh is making the lives of the citizens easier with its unique concept. Built on the concept of “it’s easier to talk it out in a cafe whilst sharing some bites and brews,” Slurrp interviewed the co-founder Drishti Chugh, the co-founder of the cafe, “Mindful Sips.” Read on to know more about the mental health-themed cafe she is running and her journey so far to make a difference in people’s lives.
How did the idea of opening a mental health cafe strike you?
Before entering the F&B industry, I did my graduation to become a child counsellor and a parenting expert. After completing my degree, I moved to Melbourne, Australia for my Master’s. I worked there for about three to four years as a childhood educator. After moving back to India and getting married, I wanted to do something of my own, but I wanted it to be close to mental health as well.
Living in Melbourne for so long and seeing those little cosy cafes, I always wanted to open one since I loved just sitting in one, taking myself to solo dates, and so on. But how I related the concept of mental health to a cafe came after I had my own kid. Whenever my husband and I went outside, I was always bothered to see both parents and kids engrossed in their screens and hardly having a conversation or spending quality time together. So, we wanted to create a space where families or parents and come in, relax, talk to each other and have a traditional dining table conversation.
What is the overall concept or theme of your cafe and how does it provide people a safe space?
The basic theme of Mindful Sips is just a cafe beyond coffee. Working as a counsellor, I have always seen that people are hesitant to take their kids or themselves for a parenting or general therapy session. The idea of “my kid is absolutely fine,” overpowers the needs of many children. But that’s not the case when you come to a cafe, right? You’re free to talk, to each other, and perhaps to a counsellor as well.
So, whenever the guests come in and order a cup of coffee or a snack, there are so many things that grab their attention. For example, the mental health check-in on the wall, the artwork that focuses on self-care, the cosy kid’s zone, affirmations, etc. All these things build a positive vibe and give you a platform to spill tea over a cup of coffee.
How does your menu add to the theme of the cafe?
I think these days you can find a cafe in every nook and corner who offers the same menu. Our menu is short and sweet with amazing coffees, finger foods, pasta bowls, and desserts. We wanted to focus on people having a flowy conversation in the cafe with easy-to-eat and healthy food. We do add seasonal slushies and coolers to our menu every now and then but we don’t want to make it more elaborate, which could shift the focus or hamper the quality.
Also, all our bakery items are super healthy. They’re all suitable for a one-year-old and for the 60-year-old. So, even the brownies and cake options we have are all kid-friendly desserts that you eat without any guilt. Since we built the cafe on the self-care concept, we would never serve our guests something that is not made of fresh and healthy ingredients. Be it our pasta or our sandwiches, everything is freshly prepared, we take care of the quality and quantity of oil that is being used to give the guests guilt-free indulgences.
How do you balance the commercial aspects of running a cafe while providing a therapeutic environment?
Balancing our menu and the theme is the key to the commercial aspect. Plus, giving the guests personal attention, making sure that they’re comfortable, and simply initiating the conversation around “how are you feeling,” makes the highlight of the cafe. Further, we keep planning workshops to support causes like work stress, suicide prevention, yoga, and many more to keep our guests engaged outside of their screens.
What would you say about the impact the cafe is creating?
My vision through the cafe was crossing the barrier in a comfortable setting while trying to open up. And that has been working wonders. People are feeling quite comfortable talking to each other and to me on our couches and coffee tables. The kid’s zone always keeps the children busy with board games and brings the families back to having a conversation while having a meal. So, whenever I see that change happening in the cafe, I feel content and satisfied. Our aim is to spread awareness and make people realise that investing in mental health is totally worth it and I see that change happening steadily.