Restaurateurs say govt SOPS make business unviable

NEW DELHI: The government, in a long anticipated move, has given restaurants the nod to open their doors but many owners say the cap on the number of customers will make their operations unviable and it may be better to stay closed.

Indicating that dining out might still be some distance away and home deliveries will continue to be the order of the day, restaurateurs said the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedures (SOPS) don’t make economic sense as the cash strapped industry ventures out of the extended lockdown and plans its future.

The Health Ministry issued a set of SOPS on Thursday, curtailing the seating capacity to 50 per cent when restaurants open next week in accordance with an earlier order of the Home Ministry. Citing social distancing norms, the SOPS also mandate a distance of at least six feet in queues and inside restaurants. Asking restaurants to encourage takeaways instead of dine-ins, it says only asymptomatic staff are allowed to work and entrances to all properties must have sanitiser dispensers and thermal screening provisions.

Accepting the need for most of the other restrictions, industry insiders said halving the seating capacity is just not feasible.

The SOPS are even more detrimental than the extended

lockdown, which started on March 25, said Priyank Sukhija, the owner of restaurant chains such as Plum By Bent Chair, Lord of the Drinks and Tamasha in Delhi and Mumbai. With a 50 per cent seating

limit, about 80 per cent of restaurants will not make money even when they open up later because managing rental costs, staff salaries and electricity bills won’t be possible, Sukhija said, adding that he is glad his restaurants will remain CLOSED.AGENCIES