JOIN USBengaluru lockdown: Restaurants take complete break, close takeaway too
Even before the current lockdown began on Tuesday, prominent restaurants had voluntarily suspended both dine-in and takeaway.
Restaurants in distress are many and cover all cuisines. Quite a few are giving up even on takeaway, allowed as an essential service during the lockdowns. They say it is just not feasible to keep their doors open when business is so dull.
The latest to join the bandwagon is Ebony at Barton Centre on MG Road. The 13th Floor, one of its restaurants, served its last lunch on Saturday.
Owner Rajesh Rajaram says: “We have been closed since March. We reopened only The 13th Floor in June as it had more space. But business wasn’t good at all.”
The restaurant, which served about 500 customers every day, barely saw 15 to 20 since the pandemic outbreak. It will remain closed till things pick up, Rajaram said.
Phobidden Fruit on 12th Main Indiranagar closed last Saturday. The Asian restaurant was open only for takeaway for 40 days. “It didn’t feel safe and we didn’t want to risk anything,” a staffer said.
Two MTRs, CTR and Veena Stores closed
Central Tiffin Room in Malleswaram voluntarily stopped dine-in two weeks ago as the business had come down to 15 per cent of what it used to be in the pre-pandemic days.
On June 5, Veena Stores, known for its idlis and coffee, stopped both take-away and dine-in. “We have staff from Chitradurga and Tumakuru, among other places, and they had family worrying about their safety working here. There was no peace of mind,” owner Pradeep said. He hopes to reopen once things look up.
With more than 10 outlets in the city, Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) has decided to take a complete break at two located inside malls.
“There weren’t too many visitors at the malls, which means we had basically kept the restaurant open for no one. We felt it was best to close them temporarily and return when business picks up,” Hemamalini Maiyya, owner, told DH.
Since the reopening of dine-in, MTR had seen only 30 per cent sales. Even after dine-in opened, the outlets witnessed more takeaway than dine-in.
Eight outlets remain open for takeaway through the current lockdown.