PUNE:
Timing restrictions as well as limits on the number of patrons in bars is killing the buzz of wining and dining out in the city. The restaurant/bar business has turned into a race against time to generate as much revenue in as little time, even if it means not letting customers settle down with their
drink.
Relaxing at a bar with a chilled mug of beer or a peg of whisky now remains a distant memory — an indication of how the pandemic has changed yet another aspect of our lives. The restrictions include pulling down shutters by 10pm and operating at 50% occupancy.
“I visited some bars recently and the experience was not good at all. Waiters now want people to gulp down their drinks. If you are having a beer, the waiters tend to push you to drink fast, pay up and leave. People go to a bar to relax and have a drink or two. That element is missing now,” says Kondhwa resident Sanjay Amble.
“It is very uncomfortable if waiters keep staring at you all the time and indirectly ask you to leave. Since my mother-in-law is visiting, I cannot drink at home on weekends. But a visit to the bar made me extremely self-conscious and restless,” said Hadapsar resident Kiran Pradhan.
Two working professionals hit a bar at Salunkhe Vihar Road late on Saturday evening. However, since they had reached only by 9:30pm, enjoying their drinks was not possible. “We tried to finish work early but that was not possible. We had decided to have some beers but almost as soon as we sat down, we were told that the bar will close by 10.15pm. How can you drink and relax while looking at your watch?” asked one of the men.
The waiter at the same bar said that he was helpless. “We open at 7pm and have to close by 10pm. Business is down, and we need to ensure that we can serve as many guests as we can. So, the focus is obviously on those spending more,” he said.
The manager of the bar said, “More than 70% of the daily income has dried up. We cannot open before 7pm as no one comes in early for a drink. We don’t have a choice but to make some customers hurry and leave tables to make way for those waiting so that sales can be increased.”