Restaurants fire kitchen hearths but find few takers
LUCKNOW: Lucknow foodies responded to the opening of restaurants with healthy caution. The eateries that opened shop on Monday saw only a few patrons.
Covid-19 is definitely set to change people’s restaurant experience, said Royal Cafe Group MD Sandeep Ahuja. “It’s not that people are unwilling to come to restaurants but we have had to restrict the number of diners to ensure social distancing. Those who are present here had booked their table in advance. “We have re-started operations with less than half the seats. With certain modifications, we are all looking for ways to recreate the dining experience in a safe way.
“In the days to come, people will have to be ready to accept masked waiters, spaced-out seating, booth dividers, e-menus, contactless food delivery at the table, and even mannequins on vacant seats. Vacant seats will be blocked with cloth covers and cardboard cut-outs, till a cure for Covid-19 doesn’t arrive,” he said.
Open Air Restaurant’s Uttam Kashyap said, “We have only a handful of customers today but we are getting good packing orders. Usually, we have 30% customers from 11 am to 6 pm and we see 70% of our customers after 6 pm till late in the night, but now we will have to close our restaurant before 9 pm, so sales will be half of what we used to have. However, we are taking a creative approach to social distancing in our group of restaurants. We are providing e-menus on the phone to every customer.”
Naveen Srivastava, a diner at a popular restaurant, said, “Covid-19
has taught so many things to us. I am a big foodie. I love eating out, but for the last few months I was not able to eat my favourite dishes. Today, I decided to have food in my favourite restaurant. I am happy to be back at the table at my favourite place again.”
However, Hotel Hyatt has decided to start operations only from July 1, while Hotel Piccadilly, Clarks Avadh have started giving rooms to guests while following all the prescribed norms.
Hotel Hyatt’s Yashi said, “We are not opening today. The management has decided to open Hyatt from July 1.” Meanwhile, an official of Hotel Piccadilly said, “We have started room bookings and we are serving meals directly in the rooms, while restaurants inside the hotel are still closed.”
LONGER WAIT FOR TUNDAY KEBABS
The eateries and restaurants of Lucknow’s iconic Tunday Kababi are still closed, as slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh are not operational. The restaurants are not getting supply of meat from anywhere. “We are famous for serving meat galawati kebabs and non-veg dishes but our suppliers say that they are not getting the meat, as slaughter houses all over the state are closed,” said Tunday Kababi owner Mohammad Usman.