Restaurants, pubs brace themselves for another lean period

Government’s new COVID-19 rules come as no surprise to many restaurants that had already started imposing curbs on patrons

The government’s restrictions on seating arrangements in bars, restaurants, pubs, and clubs in Bengaluru Urban and Rural as well in other districts, including Mysuru, Udupi, and Bidar, has not come as a surprise to restaurateurs. Many restaurants in Bengaluru have already adopted such measures while others admitted that patronage had dropped over the last fortnight. Less than a week ago, clusters were reported in two popular pubs in Bengaluru, with many employees testing positive for COVID-19. Though staff members were all asymptomatic, the incident had prompted owners of several hotels and restaurants to impose restrictions such as reducing the number of tables and not accepting booking for parties even before the government announced new guidelines on Friday. Vidyarthi Bhavan, a popular south Indian food joint, for example, has already brought down the number of tables for its dine-in facility by 30. Restaurateur Arun Adiga told The Hindu that patrons have been urged to call ahead for reservations, as walk-ins are being discouraged. This is one way to reduce crowding outside the eatery, he said. They can also place orders online and collect them at the designated time. “We had to take this hard decision in the light of the spike in cases in the city,” Mr. Adiga said.