City eateries prepare to open in new avatar from tomorrow

City eateries prepare to open in new avatar from tomorrow

CHANGE ON THE MENU Fewer Tables, Staff In Masks To Greet Diners

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.06.2020

After a hiatus of 75 days, Bengaluru eateries are gearing up to reopen for dining in from Monday. From reducing the number of tables to ensuring use of masks and gloves by staff, the establishments are ushering in changes to abide by social-distancing and health norms.

According to Chandrashekar Hebbar, president of Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association, Monday will witness a new chapter in eating out with many establishments getting ready to serve customers in banana leaves and paper plates/ cups. “There are nearly 25,000 eateries in Bengaluru, including fine-dining restaurants. Everyone is preparing to reopen on Monday with strict sanitisation and social-distancing measures in place. Owners are taking no chances as spread of Covid-19 can ruin their business,” Hebbar added.

The iconic Vidyarthi Bhavan in Gandhi Bazaar, operational since 1943, has never witnessed such changes in the 77 years of its existence. “Conventionally, we’ve had 28 tables. To adhere to social-distancing protocol, we have reduced 10 tables. Even the number of service staff has been decreased and those on duty will don gloves, masks and will cover their heads,” explained Arun Adiga, owner of Vidyarthi Bhavan, who described Monday’s reopening as a ‘big challenge”.

Now, dial in to reserve table at some darshinis

For the first time, Vidyarthi Bhavan and a few other darshinis plan to introduce a reservation system. “We often get large crowds for lunch and evening snacks. So we’re planning to implement a system where people can book tables over phone. This will be done on an experimental basis to reduce the number of people. We don’t know how successful it will be,” said Manjunath, who runs an eight-seater eatery in New Thippasandra. Health department rules have made it mandatory for eateries/restaurants to have less than 50 per cent of the regular capacity.

“We have to ensure people don’t crowd the place. We have reduced the number of steel tables outside where customers stand and eat and have switched from steel and plastic containers to paper plates/cups and wooden spoons,” said Radhakrishna Adiga, owner of Brahmins Coffee Bar in Basavanagudi.

Power bill moratorium not enough: Owners

The government has announced a moratorium on power bill payments for hotels, bars and restaurants for April and May; the amount can be remitted without penalty till June 30. But owners of establishments say the order doesn’t give them much respite. “The penalty amount was very small. But the truth is the restaurant industry, which was severely hit by the lockdown, has been ignored in terms of any relief package,” said Dheeraj Kumar, a Bengaluru-based bar owner.

Though restaurants are reopening on Monday, they are not allowed to serve alcohol, which accounts for a big percentage of their revenue. “The power bill moratorium is hardly a relief at a time when the industry has been ravaged. Sixty per cent of restaurateurs in the city will not be able to survive till the end of the year unless the government provides some aid,” opined Ranveer Sabhani, member, National Restaurants Association, Bengaluru Chapter.