Pillowy idlis, crisp vadas, shavige bath that ticks all the boxes, slurp worthy bisi bele bath and the unlimited chutney… it will be a while before patrons can savour these dishes from the popular Veena Stores in Malleswaram again. The landmark eatery has downed its shutters indefinitely.
Owner Pradeep Suryanarayana told The Hindu , “We closed operations early this month. Health concerns trumped business. It was a very hard decision; but we had no other choice.”
Started in 1977 by his father Suryanarayana who is now in his 80s, Veena Stores has a loyal clientele. People from across the city would queue up outside the small eatery on the busy Margosa Road as early as 6.30 a.m. The queue would extend more than 100 metres on weekends.
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“I receive calls from many people every day enquiring about when we will re-open. But with the number of COVID-19 positive cases increasing by the day, we are not sure when operations can be resumed,” he said.
Mr. Suryanarayana said that he employed 10 staff members. After the lockdown, many returned to their villages. “We re-opened on May 9 and offered parcel services. We managed with just six staff members,” he said and added that business had taken a massive hit during this period.
He said his staff was finding it difficult to ensure customers maintain social distancing, which is crucial to checking the spread of COVID-19.
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“Veena Stores has earned a lot of repute. We did not want to become a reason for the spread of the virus. Moreover, we were also scared of contracting it and infecting our families,” he added.
Mr. Suryanarayana said that his father supported his decision. “We will now wait and hope for better times. We may consider reopening when the cases being reported come down and the situation is under control,” he said.
B. Chandrashekhar Hebbar, president of Karnataka Pradesh Hotels’ and Restaurants’ Association, said that many hotels across the State had shut down indefinitely. “We need to ensure SMS (Social Distancing, Masks and Sanitisers). Small eateries, such as Veena Stores, and darshinis do not have the space to ensure social distancing,” he said and maintained that given these circumstances, it was wise to remain shut until the situation improves.