In a meeting held on Thursday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) decided to allow restaurants and bars in the city to reopen with 50% seating occupancy. After being shut down for dining for almost 15 days due to a surge in COVID cases in the city, the reopening comes as a relief for the hospitality industry that has been fearing temporary closures and loss of jobs during the pandemic. On January 25, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) had also written a letter addressed to the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, requesting him to lift the restrictions imposed on Delhi restaurants. The news of reopening just two days after that offers some reassurance to the hospitality industry, though owners feel that it’s about time other curbs imposed on them, such as 50% occupancy and restricted timings, are lifted too.
‘If flights can operate at full occupancy, why not restaurants?’
Restaurateur Zorawar Kalra says, “We are ecstatic about this news and this comes as a huge relief for our industry, which is among the worst hit. The sector has suffered huge losses with 25% permanent restaurant closures after the second lockdown. As an industry, the safety of our patrons and colleagues is the top priority and we shall fully abide by the 50% occupancy rule, however, if cases remain low, we really hope that even these restrictions are reconsidered as this will play a key role in ensuring the industry’s survival. It is our humble submission that if flights are allowed to run at full occupancy then definitely restaurants, which have a far greater distance between tables, should be allowed the same.”
Restaurateur and Delhi chapter head of NRAI, Priyank Sukhija, says that the recent shutdown, which was within a few months of reopening, hugely impacted the restaurant and nightlife business in the capital. “While the reopening of restaurants and bars for dining is a welcome move, there are cities like Mumbai which didn’t shut restaurants even for a single day. I think it’s high time that restaurants are allowed to operate without restrictions like other businesses,” says Priyank. While restaurateurs welcome the move of reopening restaurants in the National Capital, many are still worried about the night curfew
‘Longer operating hours will help generate better revenue’
On Thursday, it was also decided that although the weekend lockdown will end in Delhi, the night curfew (from 10pm to 5am) will continue, which is another challenge for restaurateurs. “The night curfews are a big hurdle for us as people work during the day and prefer stepping out late for dinner. Longer operating hours can help with better rotation of tables and will generate some revenue,” says restaurateur Dinesh Arora. Restaurateur Akshay Anand adds, “Our dinner clientele starts visiting around 9.30pm-10pm and by that time, we need to shut down. Dinner hours give us 80 per cent of our revenue and I don’t think we can get that revenue even as we reopen. So, we hope we are allowed to open till our licensed timings.” Satyajit Dhingra, chief regional officer – North of a restaurant chain, says, “Constant closures and rules which curtail us from functioning to our full potential won’t help much. We urge the government to help us with sustainable solutions to allow this industry to regain its foothold. While 50 per cent capacity is something that we have been working with, we would also urge the government to re-examine the time restrictions. Allowing us to remain open as per license closing timings will actually reduce overcrowding and will allow us to serve our patrons in a systematic manner.” “To recover from the kind of losses that we have suffered in the last two years, we should be allowed to operate without any restrictions,” adds restaurateur Vikrant Batra.
‘We request the government to support the hospitality sector‘
Many restaurants have had to shut shop permanently, while others are on the verge of closure, resulting in loss of employment for many. Restaurateurs say that the industry needs urgent support from the government to survive. “After two years of severe losses, we humbly request some form of help from the government, starting with restoration of ITC (input tax credit) as it will help us to keep our heads above water and there can be some hope of recovering the losses ,” says restaurateur Zorawar Kalra. Restaurateur Amit Bagga adds, “We hope the government starts recognizing the food and beverage industry and gives us some relief, like allowing GST input tax, which will help in encouraging fresh investment and in turn create more jobs.”