GST has no impact on foodies in run-up to Pujas says Hoteliers

KOLKATA: The GST did not have any major impact on Kolkatans, who eat out more in the run-up to the Durga Puja days, officials of prominent fine dining restaurants and hotels in the city said.

"To be very honest, there has been no effect as such due to GST and it reflects in the numbers. Prior to GST, diners used to be charged 18.5 per cent tax but now it has come down to 18 per cent.

So those coming to savour the Durga Puja special cuisine at our speciality restaurant are coming here just like previous years," the general manager of Park Plaza Kolkata, Balbeer Singh told today.

Owner of Awadhi cuisine restaurant Oudh 1590 in the city, Shiladitya Chaudhary said, "There has been no impact on GST on our three Oudh 1590 outlets."

"We are having usual flow of customers and all the tables are booked during peak hours. The newly opened Oudh outlet near Vivekananda Park is also getting a great response from the customers this month," he said.

One of the owners of a popular Bengali fine-dining restaurant 'Saptapadi', Chef Ranjan Biswas said, "From 20.5 per cent in service tax now the diner has to cough up 18 per cent. The guests have to cough up less amount as the different slabs of tax in pre-GST regime has been streamlined."

"There can be positive and negative sides in every step," Biswas said referring to initial jitters when GST was rolled out in July.

"We see no reason that the number of customers will fall from September 24 till the end of puja special cuisine offer on October 2," he said.