Despite permit to open, Gurugram eateries keep the locks on

GURUGRAM: At Cyberhub, one of the city’s most popular hangout places, there were plenty of boards on Monday morning telling patrons ‘Welcome back, we have missed you’. In times of a global pandemic, the precautions were there too — posters advised social distancing, floor markers were placed at every six feet, sanitisers were kept handy and thermal scanning was in place at the entry points.
However, barring some maintenance staff, there was hardly any human presence at the F&B hub. The scenes — an unusual sight in a city teeming with diners from across NCR — were similar at the Sector 29 market and Galleria as well.
Despite the government allowing them to open with 50% capacity, most restaurants in Gurugram decided to stay shut due to concerns over financial viability. When TOI visited Cyberhub on Monday afternoon, only three eateries were open — only for delivery and takeaway.
Restaurateurs said they expect more losses if they open up because with the riders imposed by the state and central governments over timings and seating capacity, apart from the fact that they cannot serve liquor in their premises, they would struggle to achieve even 15%-20% of their pre-lockdown business.
“We are very keen to open but the conditions are not conducive for business. Take for instance the requirement to close at 8 pm. About 35% of our business comes from lunch and 65% from dinner. If we close at that hour, our earnings are gone. Add to this the closure of bars within restaurants, and it will come down to around 15-20% for most,” said Inderjit Banga, owner of Pra Prak Prank and Prankster and head of the Gurugram chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).
In Sector 29, all restaurants and pubs, barring those providing quick service such as McDonalds, Domino’s and Bikanerwala, remained closed too. The market, which is usually bustling with people, had no visitors. Signs of ‘To-Let’ hung from the façades of two pubs. Galleria, the city’s oldest hangout zone, did see a higher footfall, owing more to shopping than to food.
There was also a lack of clarity among store managers about the orders. “We are open for takeaway and delivery but not for dine-in because the state government hasn’t allowed these services in Gurugram and Faridabad yet,” said Kailash Aiswal, store manager of the Tossin Pizza outlet in Galleria. Restaurants inside malls were unclear too if they could open.
Rental anxiety
Most of the owners who have been forced to keep their restaurants shut since the last 70 days have not paid rentals for the lockdown period, during which their business dried up. Now though, they are worried that as soon as they reopen, their landlords could come knocking on their doors asking for rent.
“Force majeure is in effect for us with regards to the rents. If we open, we will have to pay the rent even though there will be no business because people are scared to come out of their homes,” said Gagan Vashisht, owner of Chinese Panda and Dhaba 29 in Sector 29.
The average monthly rent for a 5,000 sq ft restaurant in Sector 29 is between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 9 lakh, NRAI’s Banga said, adding that at Cyberhub, the rent would be around Rs 15 lakh, exclusive of the common area maintenance charges.
“The rentals are extremely high for us to survive with such low levels of revenue. We are trying to negotiate a lower amount with the landlords. They simply cannot expect the pre-Covid rentals,” a restaurant owner at Cyberhub said, not wishing to be named.
Among other concerns, eateries face a shortage of manpower as most of the employees have returned home. Moreover, sanitisation of premises is also likely to take some time.
“While we have received the permissions, we need to make arrangements in order to follow the SOPs and that will take eight to 10 days,” a manager of Cafeteria & Co in Cyberhub said.
Several people working in the sector indicated that notwithstanding the permit to resume operations, it will be a while before Gurugram’s hospitality industry can find its feet, and its party buzz, back.