The government’s restrictions on seating arrangements in bars, restaurants, pubs, and clubs in Bengaluru Urban and Rural, as well as in other districts such as Mysuru, Udupi, and Bidar, have not come as a surprise to restaurateurs. Many restaurants in Bengaluru have already adopted such measures while others admitted that patronage has dropped over the last fortnight.
Less than a week ago, clusters were reported in two popular pubs in Bengaluru, with many employees testing positive for COVID-19. Though the staff members were all asymptomatic, the incident prompted owners of several hotels and restaurants to impose restrictions such as reducing the number of tables and not accepting bookings for parties even before the government announced the new guidelines on Friday.
Vidyarthi Bhavan, a popular South Indian food joint, for example, has already brought down the number of tables for its dine-in facility by 30. Restaurateur Arun Adiga told The Hindu that patrons have been urged to call ahead for reservations, as walk-ins are being discouraged. This is one way to reduce crowding outside the eatery, he said. They can also place orders online and collect them at the designated time. “We had to take this hard decision in light of the spike in cases in the city,” Mr. Adiga said.
The Bruhat Bangalore Hotels’ Association (BBHA) is also in the process of drawing up an action plan for its members to ensure that the chain of spread is curtailed. The BBHA and the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) have sent petitions to both the Union and State governments to consider staff in the hotel industry as frontline workers and cover them in the vaccination drive.
Restaurants are already experiencing the effects of the second wave. BBHA president P.C. Rao pointed out that over the past week, business had dropped, and as had the room rentals. “The hospitality sector has incurred a loss of approximately ₹500 crore and several people who were employed in the industry lost their jobs over the past year. Several hotels are imposing restrictions themselves,” he said.
Manu Chandra, restaurateur and head of the NRAI’s Bengaluru chapter, pointed out that the mean age of hotel employees was not more than 28 years. “Employees in the hotel industry are prone to multiple points of contact. It therefore makes sense to cover them in the vaccination drive,” he said. He added that the NRAI had also drawn up a playbook on measures to be taken to check the spread. “The playbook has been widely distributed across the country.”
Karunakar Hegde, vice-president of the Federation of Wine Merchants’ Association, Karnataka, said the federation has intimated liquor licence holders on the preventive measures to be taken. “We have also given training to employees of several bars and restaurants in the city. With the fall in business, the number of tables has also been reduced,” he said.
