BENGALURU: Your everyday meal at restaurants may now cost you more as eateries across Bengaluru grapple with rising LPG prices, supply shortages and increasing input costs. From small darshinis to independent restaurants, establishments have raised prices by Rs 5 to Rs 12 or up to 10-15% over the past two months, impacting daily consumers.
Darshinis that are go-to places for office-goers, students and daily wage workers for their affordable prices too are feeling the strain.
Restaurant owners say the sharp rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices from around Rs 1,600 a few months ago to nearly Rs 3,000-Rs 3,200 now has significantly increased operating costs. “Along with LPG, prices of vegetables and other raw materials too have gone up.
We have had no option but to revise prices,” said Niranjan Gowda, owner of Aha Thindi on Cunningham Road. Tea and coffee prices have risen from Rs 20 to Rs 25, while staples like idli and dosa too have become costlier.
Supply disruptions have only worsened the situation. Several owners report that they have been receiving only part of their required supplies, forcing them to buy cylinders from the black market, paying steep rates.
“We sometimes get only 70-80% of our required supply and have to buy the rest from the black market,” Gowda said, adding that some outlets are shutting earlier than usual.
New businesses are also under pressure. Puneeth M, owner of Veg Que in Nagarbhavi, said he had to increase prices soon after opening. “There is no issue in availability, but the cost of LPG has gone up, forcing us to revise our menu,” he said. At his outlet, tea and coffee now cost Rs 20, dosa Rs 80, idli Rs 40, and North Indian dishes and Indo-Chinese foods like Gobi Manchurian start at Rs 100.
For smaller establishments, the impact has been even more severe. “We have increased prices for all food items and stopped serving deep-fried items like Gobi Manchurian as it is no longer feasible. LPG in the black market is being sold for as high as Rs 7,000,” said Girish, a worker at ICE and Chinese Square. He added that customer footfall has reduced, as deep-fried items were among their main attractions.