Post lockdown, signs of revival tinged with hope for restaurants in Delhi

While some are observing smaller groups for dine-in and reservation queries for evenings, others are waiting for bars to resume operations, and pinning hope on increased footfall over the weekend especially with Father’s Day

After being shut for nearly two months, Delhi restaurants were granted permission to reopen dine-in spaces at 50% occupancy till 8pm from Monday. However, the move is on one-week trial till June 21. Furthermore, a clarification issued by the excise department states that liquor cannot be served as it mentioned, “Bars in the hotels, clubs and restaurants are not allowed to open till further orders.”

Delhi restaurants were granted permission to reopen dine-in spaces at 50% occupancy from Monday on one-week trial basis (Photo: Raj K Raj / HT)

Even with limited seating capacity, plenty of safety protocols in place, restricted timings and inability to serve liquor, restaurateurs are excited to serve diners once again.

While some are observing smaller groups for dine-in and are getting reservation queries for evenings, others are pinning the hope on increased footfall over the week especially with Father’s Day around the corner, and waiting for bars to resume operations.

Zorawar Kalra , founder, Massive Restaurants, says, “Dinner business constitutes 70-80% of the total revenue for a typical restaurant. Delhi diners like eating out late and the 8pm deadline means the last order will have to be taken at 7pm which is not in tune with the dining culture of the city. Add to that the inability to serve liquor and it has an even further detrimental effect.”

Similarly, Vikrant Batra, owner of Cafe Delhi Heights finds it difficult to understand how liquor shops can open but alcohol can’t be served at restaurants following all SOPs. But he further shares, “In the last two-three days, we are noticing how cautious patrons have become to maintain social distance unlike the last time.”

However, despite all constraints, the response from customers has been positive. “We are receiving reservation enquiries for the evenings and coming days. We are also expecting the numbers to rise further, once we are allowed to serve liquor again,” says Mayank Bhatt, business head, Social.

Thrilled to resume operations, Jaydeep Mukherjee, business head, Smoke House Deli says, “After eight weeks of lockdown, there is a sense of longing for being able to go out and enjoy a meal. We are seeing smaller tables with groups of two-four people coming together.”

Getting staff vaccinated on priority and conveying the same to customers has been a focus point too. “We’ve made sure that all our staff is vaccinated and we did convey that to the customers, which definitely has put them at ease,” says Amit Rekhi, partner, Music and Mountains. Rekhi is also looking forward to a good turnout over the weekend as he says, “...because offices have also opened up, weekend turnout will be better than weekdays.”

“We are seeing an encouraging and optimistic response but we’ll have to be patient. We understand the need for the guidelines, and consider guests’ safety as paramount,” says Rahul Khanna, co-founder & director at Azure Hospitality.

Some also feel that with dine-in resuming, it may impact home deliveries that saw a surge during lockdown. Dhruv Lamba, executive director, Kwality Group says, “As people will start stepping out, deliveries automatically will go down. Our 25-30% sales are dependent on delivery but the rest are all dine-in and take-aways. But, it’s too soon to comment about the footfall for the coming weekend as people are still choosing to stay in than going to restaurants or parties.”