With onions at Rs 80/kg, restaurants passing on cost burden to customers

According to retail vegetable vendors, onions are being sold in the range of Rs 70-80 per kg in the national capital and suburbs

The rising onion prices have prompted the city-based restaurants, eateries and hotels charge more for the food items that contain this kitchen staple.

The restaurant owners say the skyrocketing prices of onions has made things difficult for them to run the business and they are left with no other option but to pass it on to the customers.

According to retail vegetable vendors, onions are being sold in the range of Rs 70-80 per kg in the city and suburbs.

"Many customers demand raw onion slices with the main dish. But we have put up a board at our hotel to inform the customers that a plate of raw onion would cost Rs 15 extra. We have taken this decision as we cannot afford to serve it free of cost," Prakash Shetty, who runs Bharat Lunch Home in Sion- Koliwada area, said on Thursday.

"In the past, we used to serve approximately 10 kg of raw onion to our customers on a daily basis. But it has become impossible today. Therefore, we decided to charge extra for it as we are left with no other alternative," he added.

Another restaurant owner said, several food items have become costlier as a result of the rising onion prices.

"The prices of a number of dishes, which cannot be prepared without onions, have gone up. Earlier, we used to procure onions from wholesale market at Rs 15-20 per kg. But over the last two months, we have been facing problems due to the exorbitant rates of the bulb," he said.

A retail vegetable vendor said, "We are charging Rs 80 per kg for new onions, and Rs 125 per kg for the older stock."

Onion prices have been on the rise for the last one month due to supply disruption from flood-affected producing states like Maharashtra. Prices have risen sharply in the last few days due to heavy rains in the key growing states.