<p>Bengaluru: Eateries in the city are considering levying ‘<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/lpg">gas</a> crisis charge’ on dine-in bills amid the ongoing crisis, but are worried about customer backlash too. </p>.<p>Casino, a restaurant on New BEL Road, has started levying a 10% ‘gas crisis charge’ since Tuesday. </p>.<p>“We’ve cut down our menu by at least 50%, but we’re still having trouble running the restaurant, as we’ve had to pay Rs 4,800 for a cylinder, for which we would earlier pay Rs 1,500. So, for the time being, we have added this charge to help deal with the rising costs. We will remove it once the crisis subsides,” an employee said. </p>.<p>Restaurants are facing criticism from customers for the added cost.</p>.<p>“Even if customers question us, we have a valid reason. We are explaining to them why this is being done. Since we have a regular customer base, most people are understanding,” he added. </p>.<p>An Andhra cuisine restaurant in Marathalli is also levying a Rs 10 extra charge for each item purchased, under the same pretext. </p>.Ugadi festivities continue in Bengaluru despite LPG crisis.<p>As the crisis rages on, many restaurants are resorting to black market purchases, with each cylinder costing between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000. </p><p>“I have no option but to purchase these cylinders in black at a higher cost. Now to balance out the increased cost, I need to make an addition either in the food prices or as an extra charge. My team is trying to figure which move will be better accepted by the customers. We don’t want any unnecessary backlash,” said the owner of a cafe in Indiranagar. </p>.<p>Another cafe in Kothanur, which went viral a few days ago for applying a 5% gas crisis charge on a lemonade bill, has retracted the move.</p>.<p>Avinash P, owner of Theo Cafe which issued the bill, claimed that the lemonade bill was merely a “technical glitch”.</p>.<p>“If the LPG crisis continues, we will look into increasing the food prices. We will not be adding any gas crisis charge,” he told <em>DH</em>. </p>.<p>The Karnataka State Hotels’ Association is set to meet later this week to discuss a potential price hike. </p>.<p>“We are unsure about the next move, but no restaurant in our association will be levying a ‘gas crisis charge’. As we stand today, the situation is only getting worse. Food menu price hike is one way to deal with the crisis, but we’ll all meet and decide the best way forward,” said Madhukar M Shetty, the association vice president. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Eateries in the city are considering levying ‘<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/lpg">gas</a> crisis charge’ on dine-in bills amid the ongoing crisis, but are worried about customer backlash too. </p>.<p>Casino, a restaurant on New BEL Road, has started levying a 10% ‘gas crisis charge’ since Tuesday. </p>.<p>“We’ve cut down our menu by at least 50%, but we’re still having trouble running the restaurant, as we’ve had to pay Rs 4,800 for a cylinder, for which we would earlier pay Rs 1,500. So, for the time being, we have added this charge to help deal with the rising costs. We will remove it once the crisis subsides,” an employee said. </p>.<p>Restaurants are facing criticism from customers for the added cost.</p>.<p>“Even if customers question us, we have a valid reason. We are explaining to them why this is being done. Since we have a regular customer base, most people are understanding,” he added. </p>.<p>An Andhra cuisine restaurant in Marathalli is also levying a Rs 10 extra charge for each item purchased, under the same pretext. </p>.Ugadi festivities continue in Bengaluru despite LPG crisis.<p>As the crisis rages on, many restaurants are resorting to black market purchases, with each cylinder costing between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000. </p><p>“I have no option but to purchase these cylinders in black at a higher cost. Now to balance out the increased cost, I need to make an addition either in the food prices or as an extra charge. My team is trying to figure which move will be better accepted by the customers. We don’t want any unnecessary backlash,” said the owner of a cafe in Indiranagar. </p>.<p>Another cafe in Kothanur, which went viral a few days ago for applying a 5% gas crisis charge on a lemonade bill, has retracted the move.</p>.<p>Avinash P, owner of Theo Cafe which issued the bill, claimed that the lemonade bill was merely a “technical glitch”.</p>.<p>“If the LPG crisis continues, we will look into increasing the food prices. We will not be adding any gas crisis charge,” he told <em>DH</em>. </p>.<p>The Karnataka State Hotels’ Association is set to meet later this week to discuss a potential price hike. </p>.<p>“We are unsure about the next move, but no restaurant in our association will be levying a ‘gas crisis charge’. As we stand today, the situation is only getting worse. Food menu price hike is one way to deal with the crisis, but we’ll all meet and decide the best way forward,” said Madhukar M Shetty, the association vice president. </p>