BENGALURU: On Friday, the Karnataka government announced that the weekend curfew had been lifted. This meant that places could stay open till 10 pm. Restaurateurs and store owners were the most thrilled by this news as footfall is highest during weekends.
Ranveer Sabhani, business head – south, Impresario Handmade Restaurants, says there’s been at least a 40 per cent hike in walk-ins and business this weekend.
“The last two weeks of the weekend curfew were tough because we are still recovering from the loss of business since the pandemic hit."
While takeaways were allowed, this cannot be our only source of income. Sentiments of people are low and business is also down, all of this has been a cause of concern,” he says, adding that the Bengaluru market has been comparatively better than Delhi and Mumbai.
“While we are in the third wave, people are more comfortable venturing out and that’s obviously good for the business. We are hoping it will only get better in the coming week,” says Sabhani.
Deepti Kat, a partner at Bhola & Blonde Bangalore, is definitely cheering the lifting of the weekend curfew. “We’ve had a good crowd coming in on weekdays but this weekend has been good as well. The vibe was lively during the late evenings and the energy, positive,” she explains, adding that the F & B industry is a barometer to judge the energy level of the city. “It’s encouraging to see our city getting back its mojo after a dull start to the year,” she adds.
Partner at Byg Brewski and Bobs Bar, Ajay Gowda, points out that the hospitality industry doesn’t have much cash to burn anymore.
He explains, “For the last two years, we’ve been struggling to make up for the losses. This was pretty much the last leg where many of us didn’t know what to do when pay-day came. So, this move is a fantastic relief.”
He adds that he saw a 50 to 60 per cent increase in customers this weekend compared to the weekdays.
“We make most of our revenue during the weekend and no matter how much we try, it cannot be made up with just the weekday business,” says Gowda.
Meanwhile, stores in the city have worked around the curfew.
For instance, Mysore Saree Udyog on Commercial Street, changed their week day timings to suit both the night curfew as well as the weekend curfew.
“We’ve been opening at 6.30 am every day and closing by 8.30 pm. This gives people enough time to shop throughout the day,” says Sanjay Singh, manager of the store, amidst a busy Sunday.