HYDERABAD: Regular pub-goers are noticing a marked difference when they visit their favourite establishment these days. Those entering the pub, especially the younger ones, are closely scrutinised, and the staff does not hesitate in asking for an ID to check if the entrant is a minor.
Gone are the days when pubs would entice customers with offers like ‘girls nights’, free drinks, free entry for boys accompanying a female, offers for employees of MNCs along with concessions and much more. Though it did not take place at the establishment, the recent gang rape of a minor girl which took place after she left the Insomnia at Jubilee Hills, has forced the managements to take corrective steps. Before the Insomnia incidents, some hangouts popular with the younger crowd had garnered unwanted attention after cops raided them for drugs.
Pub managements, at least for the time being, have now cut down on offers to lure customers and are saying a firm ‘no’to crowded private parties, especially if the guests are minors. This has dampened the mood among teen students and youths who had been looking forward to letting their hair down and having a blast this summer.
Swanky pubs, especially at places like Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills and Gachibowli. had been the favourite haunts of the young and ‘hip’ crowd who are now looking for other spots where they can be themselves.