Cheers to World Cup plans? Sorry, table reserved with confusion in Delhi-NCR!

Cricket lovers are racing to book tables and catch the screening of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final, today, at NCR restaurants over the dry day in Delhi.

Cricket lovers who had plans to catch the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final — India vs Australia — screenings at restaurants or bars in Delhi were left in a quandary when the Delhi Excise Department declared November 19 as a dry day in the Capital, on account of Chhath Puja.

Cricket loving Delhiites are headed to eateries in NCR, to make the most of World Cup final extravaganza.

But not every eatery in Delhi was sure whether or not to serve pre-stored liquor. The result? NCR restaurants are raking in the moolah! “We stopped taking bookings the moment the dry day order came since weren't certain if the mandate extends to only liquor stores or includes restaurants as well,” says Akhil Pillai, from Nirvana Eat Club, GTB Nagar.

To be able to end the tournament on a high, many Delhiites tried to make reservations in Noida or Gurugram but to no avail. “We are not taking any more reservations,” informs Rajneesh, operations manager at Sutra Gastropub in Noida, adding, “Usually we start receiving reservation requests from 5pm, the preceding day, but after this announcement we were completely booked by Friday itself! And most of the requests that came after the news were from Delhiites.”

“Our Gurugram outlet has been mostly packed for all the matches, and the WC finale will be no exception,” shares Karan Jain from BrewDog India, adding, “Some of the guests had been especially requested to bring along their furry friends, for the match screenings... But, as soon as the dry day was announced in Delhi, we started getting a lot of calls from big groups. Of course, cricket lovers want to ensure they end the World Cup in high spirits (smiles)!”

If you too are among those who couldn’t book a table, to watch the match on the big screening, worry not for you can experience some delicious food at home. Cloud kitchens such as Art Of Dum and China Bistro are offering food delivery at 40% discounted price, during the match hours.