An Indian restaurant in Frisco, Texas, has been repeatedly targeted by a group of people who call themselves the Texas Investigation Unit. The group claims that Bollywood Pizza House in Frisco only hires Indian students on F-1 visa which is mostly illegal. In support of their allegation, they impersonated anIndian caller named Ravi and called the restaurant seeking a job. The conversation made it clear that the restaurant hires F-1 visa students and pays them in cash or Zelle. Following up on that phone call, a video has now been released showing the same team visiting the pizza house and requesting to meet the owner, asking him to comment on the allegation. “Not true,” the man whom the video identified as owner Omprakhash Thota said. The man also denied any knowledge about the previously viral phone call. He was also accused of moonlighting and having a job at Bank of America, which he denied.

Official statement of Bollywood Pizza House

The Indian restaurant issued an official statement in the wake of the viral audio clipping and said they hire job applications from anyone who is interested in working with them. “We would like to clarify that the claim stating our restaurant hires only F-1 visa students is not true. At Bollywood Pizza House, we welcome job applications from anyone who is interested in working with us. Every application is reviewed fairly, and all hiring decisions are made based on qualifications and legal eligibility,” the statement said.“Bollywood Pizza House is proudly owned and operated by a hardworking family that has been serving the Frisco community for the past three years, with an ongoing commitment to high-quality food, great taste, cleanliness, and respectful service. We are also grateful to be consistently rated highly for hygiene standards by the City of Frisco, reflecting the care and responsibility we bring to everything we serve,” the statement read.

Can F-1 students work in a restaurant?

F-1 students are only allowed to work at the university campus cafe. They can work in areas related to their subject after first year and restaurant jobs do not mostly qualify for this.