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Covid19 spike spoils Lucknow’s eating-out scene!
The surge in Covid-19 cases and the night curfew in the state capital have already hit restaurants hard
The surge in Covid-19 cases and the night curfew in the state capital have already hit restaurants hard. They were still recovering from last year’s lockdown and the unlock phase, when this wave has left customers wary of eating out.
Chef and restaurateur Nittin Mohan opened his restaurant only in February after the lockdown last year and with sudden rise in cases closed it for dining on April 8. “From Tuesday, we are closing deliveries and our convenience store too. It’s a proactive measure that we have taken for our staff and customers. Cases are rising rapidly so we need to protect our staff and our customers with whom we deal with. After a week we will see the situation and take a call as it’s about everyone’s safety,” he said.
A popular city Awadhi-food joint has decided to close two of its restaurants. “Our dine-in restaurant near the Press Club will be shut down for the time-being. Besides, we will soon take a call to close another. With night curfew on, we have to start closing by 7:30-8 pm as the staff too needs time to wind-up and reach home. Sales have dipped by 60-70%, as during summer, people don’t venture out during the day and in the evening we close early,” said Arshi Jamal.
Anup Kanchan, an educationist and foodie echoes similar sentiments. “Ab dar lagne laga hai! Before Navratri, there is a usual practice to get some non-vegetarian stuff for dinner but this time, it’s better to control our cravings and be safe with ghar-ka-khana!”
Bollywood actor and reality TV star Ankita Srivastava recently opened Kamli Bistro in Gomti Nagar but got a shocker soon after.
“We opened the bistro after Holi believing that things would improve. The night curfew has affected the business badly. We have tastefully set-up everything with a lavish menu and ambience, but the cases started rising suddenly. Customers are just not venturing out and we have no idea what to do…can just wait and watch.”
This time, the spike in cases has been sharp so the fear is immense. “The current situation is one of panic. People are not dining-in. Instead, food is being packed and taken home, but that too is not too great. We are once again in for losses but for our staff we need to run things. Big marriage parties that were lined-up are either getting postponed or are being reduced to 40-50-people affairs. We are in for a very tough time,” said Manoj Bachaani of Richi Rich restaurant.
