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Pune’s Covid hangover: 30% bars, restaurants choose not to renew liquor licences
According to state excise, the Pune district had 2,792 restaurants and bars (including night clubs) before the pandemic and of these 2,792 liquor-serving establishments, only 1,886 have renewed their licenses after the second wave
One-and-a-half year into the Covid-19 pandemic and the Pune district has seen 30% of its restaurants and bars cancelling their licenses required to serve liquor mainly due to lockdowns and early closing hours that have adversely affected business.
According to state excise, the Pune district had 2,792 restaurants and bars (including night clubs) before the pandemic and of these 2,792 liquor-serving establishments, only 1,886 have renewed their licenses after the second wave.
Santosh Zagade, SP, state excise department, said, “Covid has definitely affected the running of bars and restaurants for we had 2,792 registered licenses in the district which has gone down to 1,886 licenses in 2020-21.”
The last one-and-a-half years have seen the government imposing restrictions multiple times, with complete closure thrice followed by reduced timings that have adversely impacted business.
Moreover, of the 30% establishments which have cancelled their liquor-serving licenses, as many as 106 have downed shutters after surrendering their licenses. Even when the government allowed them to reopen with a dine-in facility, some have opted for occasion-based (day) licenses to run their bars or pubs, Zagade said.
Recently, the government extended operational timings from 4pm to 10pm but hoteliers and pub owners said that this has not made a dent except on weekends. Ganesh Shetty of the Pune Hoteliers’ Association said, “Covid has affected business badly and despite the extension in timings till 10pm, 30% of hoteliers have not renewed their licenses which shows that business has not returned to normal.”
Patrons too, observed that Koregaon park, Kalyani nagar, Balewadi and Baner – the main hubs that once boasted a buzzing nightlife – are now dull and lifeless. Some of the pubs and restaurants are trying to adjust to the new norms but many are finding it difficult to adhere to the timings.
Toit in Kalyani Nagar now begins early in the day, offering breakfast on weekdays and brunch over weekends while following a strict protocol and allowing entry only after reservation in keeping with Covid norms. Kevin Tellis, manager, Toit, said, “We were an afternoon place but have changed our timings to 8.30am to offer breakfast. The last food order is at 9.30pm and the last bar order at 9.45pm. We maintain all the laid-down norms and even turn back people who walk in late. We are trying to innovate and maintain social distancing while recommending reservations to our patrons.”
However, Karan Bhandari, owner of Talli in Koregaon park, lamented, “We have surprise checks from the excise duty flying squad and we have to maintain the 10pm deadline but how do you make clients understand! Some people still tend to walk in at 9pm and expect to be served later. We stick to deadlines and sometimes have to turn down patrons after 9pm.”
Anand Lokhande, operations manager of Filament in Baner, a place typically choc-a-bloc with people, said, “It is difficult to survive with these strict timings and the market is bad. It is tough on hoteliers and difficult to get people to accept the new timings when they are working till 9pm in a work-from-home situation. How does one expect to do business?”
Zagade said that there are two flying squad teams to carry out surprise checks across the 12 divisions of Pune district. “We have so far had 215 cases registered against bars and restaurants for not following Covid norms namely not maintaining the 10pm deadline, allowing entry without masks and not sanitising the area,” he said.
