Day 1 a hit at Kolkata restaurants, bars as regulars return

KOLKATA: The first-day-first show for city restaurants and bars after a gap of 45 days was a moderate hit. For some popular restaurants, it was a bigger event considering the fact that all were operating with Covid protocols and 50% seating arrangements. ‘Jamai Shashthi’ came in handy for the restaurants, offering a slight boost. According to an estimate by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI), the bar and restaurant industry in Kolkata, which employs over 80,000 people in the greater Kolkata area alone, has suffered a loss of Rs 4,000-Rs 4,500 crore since the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020.
Loyal patrons turned up at their favourite food joints on Wednesday. Anindya Pal, who works in a private office around Park Street was at Mocambo enjoying his Chicken A-La-Kiev with mixed fried rice and beer with a colleague at his pre-pandemic lunch time at 2.30pm. “This has been my favourite lunch place for years. I was at office today and couldn’t miss the chance to come over with a colleague. It feels good to be back here after a long time,” said Pal, a resident of Lee Road.

HRAEI president Sudesh Poddar, who runs restaurants like Songhai, Manthan, told TOI that the 50% seating capacity was almost full during lunch and, around 7pm, there was a queue. “The response is overwhelming and we have done good business. We are expecting to do at least 40% of our normal business today considering the fact that capacity was 50% and we got two hours of prime time compared to five hours in the evening,” he said, adding that if this trend continues, it will be good for the industry as home delivery and takeaways constitute only 10%-15% of revenue of most players.
T S Walia, former national president of FHRAI, also felt the initial trend was very good. Nitin Kothari, HRAEI member and owner of restaurants like Peter Cat and Mocambo, was happy about the footfall on Wednesday. He opened Mocambo on Wednesday and is planning to reopen Peter Cat on Friday. “We were full during lunch and there were patrons waiting in the evening. Now it is being operated with 50% capacity as per guidelines. This would be 50%-60% of our normal business. A lot of people opted for early dinner at Mocambo,” he said. Charles Mantosh, owner of Moulin Rouge, Floriana and Magnolia, also had a good response from patrons. “All my restaurants have started operation today. The capacity was almost full,” he said.
Debaditya Chaudhury, director of Chowman, Oudh and Chapter 2, echoed them. “Dining was good and there was a huge demand for takeaways due to Jamai Shashthi,” he said.
However, Aminia director Kabir Azhar felt it would take some time for the industry to recover fully.