It is almost a month-and-a-half since the government relaxed the 11.30 pm deadline for bars and restaurants in Bangalore. The city finally seems to have adapted to the extend hours, with more places staying open past the midnight during the weekends.
In the first weekend in which bars and hotels were allowed to stay open till 1 am, the enthusiasm among the hotel owners was muted and only a few places with dedicated customers chose to stay open past midnight.
Most of these places were located in and around M G Road and Indiranagar.
As weeks passed, people are seeing the advantage of catering to a crowd which does not mind spending a bit more for being able to eat and drink past 11.30 pm.
Last Friday, a simple drive around the city showed that the deadline extension is now no longer limited to M G Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala or other such hotspots.
Even bars/restaurants in quieter areas like Banashankari, Jayanagar and J P Nagar have started keeping their shutters raised to welcome customers.
No cases reported
Since no major cases of violence or disturbance have been reported so far, a number of people are hoping that the government would extend this deadlines permanently as soon as its three month trial period gets over.
“I don’t want to jinx it, but I for one sure hope this happens. We had to hunt for food if we got out after 10.30 pm on weekends earlier. But now, our choices have increased tremendously. If this rule could just be extended to all days of the week, it would be a great move by the government,” Rohit Tiwari, who stays in Cox Town, said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by many who agree that the extended timings are a boon. “In the first few weeks, we went to Brigade Road or Indiranagar as the pubs in those places were the only ones staying open. But now, we can have a drink right near my house in Kammanahalli and walk home after,” a student of a popular college, who did not want to be named, said.
Meanwhile, the hotel owners who initially had logistical issues to arrange for staff to man a third shift have slowly sorted out their differences.
“We were wondering how to send our staff home as no buses would be available at the time. But looking at the business being done every weekend, we have decided to help them get cycles of their own so that they can go home after work,” said the manager of a pub in Banashankari.
Pub lovers in many areas are committed to making the three-month experiment work.