Delhi Chapter Head of National Restaurant Association of India spoke about the hiccups that restaurants are facing while reopening again.

As restaurants opened their doors from Monday, with limited dine-in, ‘on a trial basis’, several owners are unsure on how they should take things forward with the uncertainty of remaining open after a week.

According to the Delhi Chapter Head at the National Restaurant Association of India, Kabir Suri who also is the Co-Founder of Azure Hospitality, the one-week tester for the government is a matter of concern for the operators because after one week if the government will shut the operations again, businesses will go back to a standstill.

“We are calling our staff back from the villages and if we shut down, we will go back to a standstill. But I am quite hopeful that we won’t shut down,” Suri said in a telephonic interaction with ET HospitalityWorld. Azure Hospitality has opened only six outlets out of the 15 locations in Delhi as for the rest, the team is waiting for the final decision to come on the weekend.

Restaurateurs are feeling a pinch as no alcohol is allowed to be served in the restaurants. Secondly, operating with 50 percent capacity in restricted timing doesn’t give much of a breather too. Commenting on the same, Suri said, “If ‘Thekas’ are open, why can’t alcohol be served in restaurant premises, I think that’s a very fair question. Government should allow alcohol, keep the 50 percent occupancy and allow us to operate in normal timings.”

Currently, restaurants are closing by 8 pm which is the peak time for the diners to walk in. Certainly, a major chunk of the daily revenue is being lost.

The industry association and the stakeholders have approached the government and are awaiting their inputs and awaiting the actual ground reality. “It’s a wait and watch situation right now,” Suri commented.