<p>Chennai: With the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders due to the Iran war showing no signs of easing anytime soon, several restaurants across <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/tamil-nadu/lpg-crisis-section-of-tamil-nadu-hotels-declare-holiday-citing-shortage-of-cylinders-3927463">Tamil Nadu </a>began adopting different methods, depending on their scale and financial capacity, to stay afloat. While small restaurants and tea shops in Chennai and elsewhere were slowly shifting to cooking with firewood, relatively medium-sized and big ones began switching to large-scale induction stoves. </p><p>Many food outlets and roadside eateries in Chennai -- the lifeline of lakhs of officegoers, bachelors, and migrant workers -- closed their shutters on Wednesday after failing to procure commercial LPG cylinders. </p>.<p>Sapthagiri Tiffin Centre, one of the most affordable and famous eateries in the business district of T. Nagar, shut its operations on Wednesday, even as many outlets began limiting their menus to essential items and restricting the availability of some food items to specific hours of the day. </p><p>A visit to some eateries in Chennai by this DH correspondent showed that many have already begun constructing stoves for cooking with firewood, while owners who can afford to spend are buying induction stoves to prevent shutting down their hotels. </p><p>“I need at least 4 cylinders a day, but I was able to get only one. We are now planning to start cooking with firewood as there is no other option,” said Ramesh, who runs an eatery in Triplicane, told DH. </p><p>As a result of many shifting to firewood, the price of firewood has also shot up suddenly across Tamil Nadu. While one ton of firewood cost Rs 5,000 until Tuesday, it is now being procured for Rs 8,000 and above, said owners of eateries. The use of firewood for cooking has also led to environmental concerns, with activists urging those concerned and the government to take necessary measures. </p><p>“I have ordered induction stoves, and until they arrive, we will cook using firewood. I can’t afford to close my eatery as hundreds of students who stay in hostels come to eat,” said the owner of a food outlet in Salem. </p><p>Many restaurants in Chennai continued to offer limited menus for the second day on Wednesday, with south Indian meals taken off the menu and replaced with variety rice. Several outlets pasted notices informing customers that they won’t serve food items like dosa, chapatti, and poori, which consume more LPG gas. </p>.LPG shortage: Restaurants in Chennai limit their menus and tweak timings.<p>Despite making alternate arrangements, restaurant owners said they cannot run the business for long without a regular supply of LPG gas. </p><p>Vishnu Shankar, Director of the Adyar Ananda Bhavan chain of restaurants, said production in factories has not been affected much since the company has deployed multiple methods like induction stoves, biomass fuel, and LPG cylinders. </p><p>“But the majority of our outlets run on LPG cylinders and induction stoves, and we are facing a massive shortage. It is a concern to us because we cannot run outlets by depending on our central kitchen,” he said. </p><p>While delivery of domestic LPG cylinders continued without much trouble, long queues were reported at several fuel pumps across Chennai, with autos running on LPG finding it difficult to refuel. “I travelled six km to refuel my autorickshaw as two fuel stations near my home ran out of LPG since morning,” said Vellapandi, an auto rickshaw driver.</p>
<p>Chennai: With the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders due to the Iran war showing no signs of easing anytime soon, several restaurants across <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/tamil-nadu/lpg-crisis-section-of-tamil-nadu-hotels-declare-holiday-citing-shortage-of-cylinders-3927463">Tamil Nadu </a>began adopting different methods, depending on their scale and financial capacity, to stay afloat. While small restaurants and tea shops in Chennai and elsewhere were slowly shifting to cooking with firewood, relatively medium-sized and big ones began switching to large-scale induction stoves. </p><p>Many food outlets and roadside eateries in Chennai -- the lifeline of lakhs of officegoers, bachelors, and migrant workers -- closed their shutters on Wednesday after failing to procure commercial LPG cylinders. </p>.<p>Sapthagiri Tiffin Centre, one of the most affordable and famous eateries in the business district of T. Nagar, shut its operations on Wednesday, even as many outlets began limiting their menus to essential items and restricting the availability of some food items to specific hours of the day. </p><p>A visit to some eateries in Chennai by this DH correspondent showed that many have already begun constructing stoves for cooking with firewood, while owners who can afford to spend are buying induction stoves to prevent shutting down their hotels. </p><p>“I need at least 4 cylinders a day, but I was able to get only one. We are now planning to start cooking with firewood as there is no other option,” said Ramesh, who runs an eatery in Triplicane, told DH. </p><p>As a result of many shifting to firewood, the price of firewood has also shot up suddenly across Tamil Nadu. While one ton of firewood cost Rs 5,000 until Tuesday, it is now being procured for Rs 8,000 and above, said owners of eateries. The use of firewood for cooking has also led to environmental concerns, with activists urging those concerned and the government to take necessary measures. </p><p>“I have ordered induction stoves, and until they arrive, we will cook using firewood. I can’t afford to close my eatery as hundreds of students who stay in hostels come to eat,” said the owner of a food outlet in Salem. </p><p>Many restaurants in Chennai continued to offer limited menus for the second day on Wednesday, with south Indian meals taken off the menu and replaced with variety rice. Several outlets pasted notices informing customers that they won’t serve food items like dosa, chapatti, and poori, which consume more LPG gas. </p>.LPG shortage: Restaurants in Chennai limit their menus and tweak timings.<p>Despite making alternate arrangements, restaurant owners said they cannot run the business for long without a regular supply of LPG gas. </p><p>Vishnu Shankar, Director of the Adyar Ananda Bhavan chain of restaurants, said production in factories has not been affected much since the company has deployed multiple methods like induction stoves, biomass fuel, and LPG cylinders. </p><p>“But the majority of our outlets run on LPG cylinders and induction stoves, and we are facing a massive shortage. It is a concern to us because we cannot run outlets by depending on our central kitchen,” he said. </p><p>While delivery of domestic LPG cylinders continued without much trouble, long queues were reported at several fuel pumps across Chennai, with autos running on LPG finding it difficult to refuel. “I travelled six km to refuel my autorickshaw as two fuel stations near my home ran out of LPG since morning,” said Vellapandi, an auto rickshaw driver.</p>