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Noon curfew spoils the broth for eateries
Owners say residents rarely order cooked food before 12pm as it is perishable and can’t be stored till night.
Eatery owners in the city say the seven-hour curfew relaxation in the morning is of no use for them as most of their orders come post noon, and demand that the administration should allow them to make home-deliveries throughout the day.
Amarvir Singh, president of the hotel and restaurant association of Ludhiana, said that most of the eateries had zero business on Monday due to the curfew.
“The hospitality industry accounts for just 3% of the industry sector in Ludhiana. While all other industries have been allowed 24x7 operations, we have been neglected. The district administration should allow us to at least run home-deliveries throughout the day.”
He revealed that residents rarely order cooked food before 12pm as it is perishable and can’t be stored till night.
Amarvir said that most eateries are reporting a rise in orders for fish dishes. “We got more than 100 orders for fish-based dishes but could not deliver it due to the 12pm curfew,” he said.
Navjot Singh, the owner of Navjot Chicken, located near the inter-state bus terminal, said that they get the delivery of raw chicken by 9am and it takes almost two hours to cook the dishes, which leaves no time for delivery. “We got only three customers today and they too came around 11.45am. As we did not get any orders for home delivery, I distributed the cooked chicken among my relatives and friends,” he said, adding that he won’t be opening up his eatery till the administration allows home delivery services.
