Many hotels and restaurants in Anantapur and Kurnool districts are following a wait and watch policy even as they are hard-pressed to keep themselves afloat in the most uncertain atmosphere. A couple of them are up for sale unable to bear the cost of EMIs, power bills and staff salaries.
Despite many eateries reopening on June 8 by making fresh investments to adhere to COVID protocols, virus fears are still keeping potential customers away.
Upscale restaurants and eateries along NH 44 are starved of customers as the number of travellers is down to one or two percent of the original traffic. The small dhabas are catering to lorry drivers and occasional travellers for emergencies.
Manpower crunch
"Nearly 85% of the specialised chefs from West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar have left for their home towns and are unlikely to return before July-end. We are managing with locally available manpower with a reduced menu," says Sivsankar Nair, the general manager of a popular hotel in Anantapur.
The room booking during the week was just 10%, while it used to run at 85% occupancy rate prior to lockdown, he adds.
Another chain of hotels is facing a severe staff crunch due to COVID-induced exodus. "The workers’ families do not wish to send them back now, as COVID cases are on the rise in Andhra Pradesh and there is limited public transport," says Anantapur property manager Ravi Reddy. The managerial staff are doubling as attenders and front office boys with only four to five rooms getting booked out of 50 on offer, he remarks.
Another popular restaurant on RS Road in Kurnool, known for its biryani, has been able to sell only 10% to 20% of its original volumes. Some restaurants in the city are concentrating on renovating their premises hoping to reopen by August.
