Dine-in insufficient, open bars for brisk business: Ludhiana restaurateurs

The administration has allowed the restaurants to open from Monday to Saturday till 7:30pm, while home delivery of cooked food is allowed till 9pm on all days, except Sunday

Ludhiana With the government permitting dine-in facility at 50% capacity, hoteliers and restaurateurs had reason to cheer after two months of business being in a slump as they opened their gates to customers on Wednesday.

Hoteliers say the timings leave much to be desired as most customers visit their establishments after 8pm. With most of their staff already vaccinated, hoteliers say they should be allowed to at least stay open till 10pm. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Stakeholders, however, say delivery and dine-in are not enough to recover the losses incurred during the Covid-induced lockdown and have demanded that bars be allowed to reopen as well.

The administration has allowed the restaurants to open from Monday to Saturday till 7:30pm, while home delivery of cooked food is allowed till 9pm on all days, except Sunday. Restaurateurs say dine-in will only bring back 30-35% of the business and the sector will remain in the doldrums unless the bars are reopened.

Vishal Malhotra, proprietor of Flamme Bois Restaurant, Pakhowal Road, says, “The announcement has undoubtedly come as a relief for the sector but the restaurant business mostly depends on bars. We might be able to meet our expenses now, but the sector will truly be on the track of recovery once the bars open.”

Hoteliers say the timings leave much to be desired as most customers visit their establishments after 8pm. With most of their staff already vaccinated, hoteliers say they should be allowed to at least stay open till 10pm.

The turnout in restaurants also remains low with people wary of stepping out. Amarjit Singh, who owns Green Hotel on Railway Station Road, says the footfall in the hotels is less than 5%. “Opening restaurants till 7:30pm will not make any major difference as most customers have dinner only after 8pm.”

Owner of Club 69ml, South city Area, Bonny, says, “The government should allow us to reopen bars as we are already expecting a third wave, which may cause another lockdown to be imposed. The government should give us a chance to earn profits so that we may survive through the third wave.”

Struggling to make ends meet and forced to pay fixed charges including rent, salaries, power bills even during the lockdown period, he hotels and restaurant owners demanded that the government announce a relief package for the sector. Hotel And Restaurant Association president Amarvir Singh said the hospitality sector has been among the worst affected during the pandemic. “We have sought monetary relief in terms of property tax, fixed charges on power supply, and bar fee, but no relief has been provided as yet. The government should open bars at the earliest.”

Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal stages protest, wants Sunday lockdown lifted (BOX) 

With lockdown restrictions gradually easing, Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) members staged a protest against the state government’s decision to continue with Sunday lockdown at Ghas Mandi on Wednesday.

The traders raised slogans against the government and said the lockdown and curfew had caused considerable financial losses to both traders and industrialists. They said if the Sunday lockdown was not lifted, protests will be staged across Punjab over the next three days.

Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal general secretary Sunil Mehra said, “We are glad that all traders have been allowed to open their shops till 7.30pm from Monday to Saturday. However, wholesale shops in Chaura Bazaar, Akalgarh Market and Gandhinagar Market witness more footfall on Sunday than any other day of the week and customers from other districts also visit the shops for bulk shopping.”

The district administration has said the Sunday lockdown will remain in force as per the state government’s instructions.