With the government ending night curfew from Friday, restaurants and cinemas are gearing up for longer hours.
Restaurants, pubs and microbreweries can now remain open till 11.45 pm on weekdays and 1 am on weekends.
“Last weekend was the first after the night curfew was lifted, so we didn’t see too many walk-ins. The long weekend has seen many people travelling out. We should pick up pace in the next few days,” says Kiran Reddy, owner of The Wanderers, a Microbrewery in Kalyan Nagar.
Places like Indiranagar, Koramangala and JP Nagar have large concentrations of restaurants that serve alcohol.
Nikhil Gupta, co-founder, The Pizza Bakery & Paris Panini, says restaurants are contemplating an increase in prices but will wait till early next year. “Fuel price increases have led to an increase in other prices. Many of our ingredients are imported and their prices have gone up. For example, olives and many key ingredients have become more expensive,” he says.
Since November and December are considered festive months and the volumes go up, he says he will wait it out before increasing prices.
The owner of a popular pub on Brigade Road says he has installed additional CCTV cameras.
“We are getting back to the late-night business after almost a year and a half. We have changed our interiors. High rents have forced us to close portions of our restaurant,” he says.
The darshinis largely remain unaffected. Girish S Rao, owner of Nammura Upahara in J P Nagar and Taaza Thindi in Jayanagar 4th ‘T’ Block, says his restaurants close by 9 pm. “About 60 per cent of our pre-pandemic business is back,” he says. He is contemplating increasing the prices of coffee and fried rice.
Night show back
Multiplexes are resuming their 9.30 pm and 10 pm shows. S T Anand, owner of G T Mall and single-screen theatre Prasanna, Magadi Road, says the 9.30 pm weekend shows saw about 50% of the crowds return.
“If there is no threat of a third wave then we should be back to 100 per cent capacity even for night shows,” he told Metrolife.
Multiplexes such as PVR and Inox have also resumed their late-night shows. PVR in Vega City, which has 50 shows a day, checks people for vaccination certificates.
“We also have something called a wolf mask that constantly cleanses the air inside each hall,” an employee told Metrolife.
Night patrol will be heightened
Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police Kamal Pant says the police, till now enforcing night curfew, will now turn their attention to intensifying night patrols. “There will be an increase in the number of Hoysalas, cheetahs, and patrol vehicles on the road. Officers will ensure restaurants shut down in time for the deadline,” he told Metrolife.
Remote monitoring
B R Ravikanthe Gowda, joint commissioner of police (traffic), says the lifting of night curfew has not made a difference to the traffic police. “Weekends get hectic with the extended deadline till 1 am. We switch traffic lights to automatic mode and monitor traffic remotely from the Traffic Management Centre,” he told Metrolife.