As bars reopen, few find refuge while owners paint a bleak picture of the future
new delhi: As Delhi allowed restaurants and pubs here to open their bars and start serving liquor to customers from Wednesday onwards, bars barely saw any footfall and even restaurant managers and owners predicted a bleak future for their industry in the coming days.
Local, a popular hangout spot, especially among the youth, in Connaught Place did not see many patrons today. "We have witnessed a 80 per cent decrease in customer footfall. While we're hopeful that being allowed to serve liquor will attract more customers, it will take at least six months for our business to recover. We also need support from the government. We can only expect more people to visit us when the number of daily coronavirus cases starts to decrease", said manager Pravin Jha.
Local is following strict safety protocols, as per DDMA (Delhi Disaster Management Authority) guidelines. Apart from temperature checks, social distancing, compulsory face masks (and gloves for staff), patrons can download the restaurant's menu and pay using their phones.
Mayur, part of a 5-member group of office colleagues was quite satisfied with the safety precautions being undertaken. "Everything is open now, I took the metro to reach my office (near CP) today, people are out driving on the roads, till when am I going to live indoors? If I anyway have to venture outdoors, what is the harm in meeting friends for a drink?" he said. All customers were required to sit maintaining proper social distancing and with every alternate seat left empty.
Nitin Rana, manager of the military-themed bar and restaurant 38 Barracks in Connaught Place, saw slightly more visitors but was more apprehensive about the state of the food and service industry. "We expect to serve only 40 per cent of our pre-lockdown customer base but it is good for business that we are finally open. I would say that it will easily take up to 1.5 years for the business to make a full recovery", he said. Apart from all other safety rules, the restaurant has a special checklist just for its washrooms, which are cleaned and sanitized after every use.
While eateries in CP might be doing slightly better due to its prime location, Mia Bella in Hauz Khas Village said that they barely had a couple of patrons today but hope that more people show up on the weekend.
Promoting themselves on social media is another thing that all bars and restaurants are actively doing to attract more patrons, especially the younger crowd, but admit that it might be a while before people feel safe enough to venture out to bars and pubs.
Meanwhile, Praveen Khandelwal, National General Secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in New Delhi said that reopening bars and allowing liquor should not turn counter-productive for business in times of rising cases once again. "Though revival of economic activity is much needed and therefore effective and strict steps are required to obey the COVID-19 guidelines."
