Restaurants, pubs to shut shop by 9pm, fear big losses

Many restaurants and bars in the city on Tuesday decided to shut their operations by 9pm, citing interdistrict and interstate travel of staff members before the night curfew kicks in across the National Capital Region at 10pm

Many restaurants and bars in the city on Tuesday decided to shut their operations by 9pm, citing interdistrict and interstate travel of staff members before the night curfew kicks in across the National Capital Region at 10pm.

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Inderjeet Banga, head, National Restaurants Association of India, Gurugram chapter, said, “We have requested the government to impose the curfew post 10pm as 70% of the guests visit restaurants and bars for drinks and dinner. To close operations at 10pm, we have to ask guests to give their last order at 9pm, which is still too early.”

Restaurateurs in the city said that the curfew will hit their business, as the footfall fell sharply since Monday night. They said that the last year was difficult for the industry with dining facilities closed for several months due to the pandemic.

“The new measure taken by the government is required, but it will have a huge impact on sales and revenues,” Banga.

Rohit Mann, the director of Raise the Bar brewery at Clarens Hotel in Sector 29, said that their staff has started planning to return to their home towns and that the establishments that managed to continue operations after last year’s lockdown might not survive this time around. “Many outlets were closed last year and some that are trying new methods to run the show will not be able to make ends meet. The liquor licence fees and operation cost is so high that we will not be able to gain anything until 10pm. Either we will have to shut operations or move towards delivery options if they are allowed,” he said.

Owners said that they cannot sustain operations on takeaways and deliveries alone. They said that the restrictions, coupled with the 50% cap in place, will adversely impact business.

Arjun Sagar Gupta, founder of The Piano Man, said that it is an extremely difficult period for the hospitality industry at large, especially fine dining, bars and other operators whose primary revenue is generated in the evening and night hours. “There is unfortunately no structured support to ensure the survival of small businesses during these unprecedented times. The curfew has destroyed the modicum of hope that we were holding on to,” he said.

“From a business point of view, the industry would be harder hit this time around, as most of us have stretched our capabilities to finance this period. The hospitality industry has been a major contributor towards tax revenues, employment and quality of life, and now, it requires well thought out support to survive the pandemic and bounce back. This is the time where we would need our peers’ and the government’s support.”

Akshay Chauhan, owner of Boombox Brewstreet in Sector 29, said that they were just about to recover from the losses suffered last year, but the restrictions will bring them back to square one. “It is too early to close down operations at 10pm, as for it, we have to start packing up by 9pm. The footfall has already decreased with the fresh orders and we will have to permanently close down our establishments. Sales finally picked up and people had started visiting post 10pm, but we will not be able to survive any longer,” he said.