LPG crisis: No relief for restaurants yet –

MUMBAI/BENGALURU: The restaurant industry is struggling to run regular operations due to limited supply of LPG cylinders. With the government moving to raise commercial LPG allocations to up to 70%, it will take some time before the measure actually translates into sustainable supply, executives said.

“Supply remains limited and highly irregular. There is a huge sense of uncertainty looming,” said Anurag Katrir, founder of Indigo Hospitality. The key question is how quickly this revised allocation translates into on-ground availability, said Pradeep Shetty, vice president, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI).

A walk along Indiranagar’s 12th Main Street, known for its cluster of independent restaurants, reflects the tension.

“It’s all in the cards at this point,” said Nikhil Gupta, who runs brands including Pizza Bakery and Paris Panini. Sagar Daryani, Co-Founder and CEO of Wow! Momo Foods and President of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).

At the state level, the supply situation varies with some states, like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan, restricting allocation to restaurants, hurting the sector, Daryani said.

In Tamil Nadu, about 30% of restaurants are not operational on a daily basis due to supply constraints. “The struggle is still there. Vendors are raising their charges for cylinders. Maybe, in a week, we will know how much this step will help us,” said Ravi Muthukrishnan, president, Chennai Hotels Association. State governments across the country need to prioritize restaurants, and hence OMCs and their distribution partners need to work hard to ensure fair distribution among restaurants, Cutrer said.For specialty restaurants that own brands such as Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta, the situation is a little better now and the company has managed to secure some supplies of LPG cylinders. “This move will definitely help us. But given the uncertainty, we have reduced our dependence on LPG and PNG and added a lot of induction stoves. At least we are able to run our kitchens now,” said founder Anjan Chatterjee.