Most eateries in Mumbai remain shut as guest cap puts plans in a pickle

Residents of Maximum City had little option to eat out on Monday, despite restaurants being permitted to reopen. The reason: Most eateries were shut in response to a cap imposed by local authorities on the number of guests allowed.

While the rest of Maharashtra has reopened with 50 per cent capacity, Mumbai restaurants have been allowed 33 per cent capacity only. This is in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in the city and the need to be cautious, state officials said. But restaurant owners hopeful of making a good start after seven months of closure are not happy.

"We cannot restart with just a third of patrons allowed in. It has to be 50 per cent for us to make a decent beginning," Riyaaz Amlani, CEO, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality, and a member of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said.

The Maharashtra government had permitted restaurants to reopen in the first week of October, saying that eateries would have to maintain at least a one-metre distance between tables, ensure strict hygiene and sanitisation standards in the dining and kitchen areas, and digitally handle menu cards and billing.

Most restaurant bodies were excited that eateries in the city would usher in guests after dine-in services in other states was allowed.

"Maharashtra and Mumbai were the last to permit dine-in services. Though it is a good development, not all restaurants were prepared to reopen on Monday. Only 30 per cent of restaurants reopened on the first day. The rest will reopen gradually through the month," Pradeep Shetty, senior vice-president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India, said.

Mumbai is a key consumption centre, along with Delhi, and they constitute nearly 25 per cent of the food services market, say industry experts. Metros such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad make up another 20 per cent of the market.

A recent NRAI report said that a third of eateries and bars had shut permanently between April and August in India due to the pandemic and lockdown.

Sixty per cent of the total restaurant market in India remains unorganised, while 40 per cent is organised. Though store closures have been rampant in the unorganised market since the March lockdown, organised players have been shutting unprofitable outlets of late to curtail costs.

Rahul Singh, founder and CEO, The Beer Cafe, said his outlets had resumed operations in the city on Monday, though footfalls would take time to pick up. "We have to give it some time. But a start had to be made. If I were to look at our outlets in other cities, we have recovered up to 43 per cent in terms of sales versus last year. It is a good number. Once Mumbaikars are confident about dining out, the scenario here will improve."

Malls in the city are already beginning to see decent footfalls as the Dussehra-Diwali season nears. However, business hours remain curtailed at shopping centres owing to the Covid crisis.

Rajendra Kalkar, president, west, Phoenix Mills, said, "Restaurants are a perfect option for customers to grab a bite or a drink after they finish shopping. While social distancing is key, we have crowd density management and UV disinfectant systems combined with contact-less dining initiatives to offer a safe experience."

Shetty said restaurants were facing shortage of staff. Besides, the mobility of personnel was hampered by limited train services in the city.

As restaurants were totally shut for over six months, interiors also would require refurbishing. During this period, faced with a financial crisis, restaurants had to dip into savings for salary and utility payments, which would take time to recoup.