Allow dine-in till 9.30pm, say Mohali eatery owners

MOHALI: Restaurant and hotel owners on Tuesday welcomed the Punjab government's move to allow dine-in facility but demanded food be served till 9.30pm instead of 8pm
The state government allowed restaurants to have dine-in facility with 50% occupancy or 50 guests, whichever is less.
Mohali Hotel Association president D K Arora said closing a restaurant by 8pm is not feasible. "People do not come for having dinner by 6 pm or 7 pm. The closing time of 8 pm means that the last order must be taken by 6.30 pm, so that the hotel staff can wind up before 8 pm. This is unreasonable from a business point of view. We will think before opening dine-in under such a scenario," said Arora, who is the owner of a hotel.
Similarly, Malkeet Singh Khalsa, the owner of a popular restaurant in Phase V market, said, "We generally get customers by 7.30 pm for dinner. The closing time of 8pm is not practical. The government must do a rethink."
Restaurant owners also said re-employing cooks and waiters only for lunch will not be viable.
Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan said sub-divisional magistrates and station house officers will be directed to carry out random checks at restaurants to ensure standard operating protocols are being maintained.