NEW DELHI: On Saturday, the central government kept bars off the list of places and activities that remain prohibited in the fourth phase of India’s unblocking guidelines, allowing them to resume operations.
However, states will have the discretion to issue guidelines, allowing bars to begin operations and serve liquor on the premises.
The government has also relaxed the ban on the consumption of liquor, paan and tobacco in public places under Unlocking 4.
Anurag Katriar, president of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said the move is significant given that bars that were specifically on the restriction list before are not there now.
“Clearly, the Ministry of the Interior (MHA) has allowed the sector to fully open except for the capacity restriction. Now let’s wait for states to announce their guidelines. Clearly a very significant move by MHA, “he said.
However, Katriar added that while the MHA order allows states to heed a call about the opening of bars, states can still impose restrictions based on their local conditions and cases.
Restaurant owners Mint spoke with said they are awaiting specific state guidelines before reopening their bars and resuming serving alcoholic beverages. “Bars basically means a place where liquor is served, but it still comes with the previous standard operating procedures given by the ministry of health and family welfare for the opening of restaurants and hospitality services,” said Rahul Singh, who runs the restaurant chain. The Beer Cafe. bars across the country. The chain’s 36 outlets have been closed since India imposed the shutdown in late March.
Singh said that over the next several weeks, with the payment of license fees (for a liquor license), the outlets will gradually reopen according to state guidelines. “We have already paid in Haryana, Delhi, we hope it will happen soon,” Singh said.
The measure will bring relief to the country’s restaurants and restaurant market that have been under severe financial strain as businesses remained closed. In a May report, Crisil Research estimated that organized dining restaurants in India are expected to report a 40-50% drop in revenue during this fiscal year due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Even as restaurants gradually resumed service, welcoming only a handful of diners and employing required social distancing rules that include limiting seating capacity by half and other safety measures, restricting serving alcohol has resulted in a lower ticket size.
“So the bars are no longer on the prohibited list. The one thing we can all assume is that it should be a normal business (with the proper social distancing measures), but we should be able to serve liquor in restaurants. But we will have to wait for the state government to issue guidelines, “said Sibi Venkataraju, director and co-founder of pH4 Food & Beverages.
Venkataraju, who oversees the business at the popular Toit Brewpub and The Permit Room in Bengaluru, said the resumption of tabletop liquor service could help the brewery generate between 2 and 2.5 times more sales per order. However, Venkataraju did not give a date on when the foodservice company would resume serving liquor inside.
Venkataraju added that the brewery will ensure the rules of social distancing, that is, not having seats at the bar, and will ensure that the majority of customers are seated and do not stand or crowd the floor.
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