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LPG shortage fallout: Ahmedabad’s iconic Chandravilas strikes chai off the menu
Restaurants struggle due to gas shortage, say switching to traditional stoves soon
3 min readAhmedabadUpdated: Mar 25, 2026 05:14 PM IST
A worker loads cooking gas cylinders onto a delivery truck amid LPG supply disruptions, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
Written by Aryan Matthews
More than a century after serving it to its customers for the first time, the famed Chandravilas has prepared its last cup of tea, at least for weeks to come.
The restaurant, which started as a tea shop in 1900 in old Ahmedabad, has sold up to 18,000 cups of ‘chai’ in a day. Now, as the entire city bears the brunt of an LPG crisis, Chandravilas has struck tea, along with some fried snacks, off its menu to save its last few gas cylinders.
With the crisis in Iran in its fourth week, the impact of liquefied petroleum gas or LPG shortage was visible on eateries on Gandhi Road and in Manekchowk—places that turn into hubs of street food every night.
Malav Joshi, the proprietor of Chandravilas, said the situation has compelled them to adapt. “We are facing a shortage of LPG cylinders. So, for now, we’ve shifted to coal ‘chulhas’ (traditional stoves) and electric coils. We’ve also had to cut down on certain items like tea, ‘sev-usal’, ‘papdi’ and ‘fulwadi’ (all fried snacks) from the menu.”
“Everyone in the food business is facing this issue. We are managing for now and hope the situation improves soon,” he said.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Yogesh Sharma, who owns New Karnavati Dabeli Vadapav and Sandwich Pizza Center at Manekchowk. He said his establishment was running on its last few LPG cylinders and was preparing for a complete transition if the supply did not get better soon.
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“There is no clear timeline on when the shortage will end. We are already planning to switch to coal chulhas,” he said.
The situation appears particularly severe for sandwich vendors, many of whom depend entirely on LPG for grilling and toasting. Arvind Modi of Khodiyar Sandwich and the convenor of the Manek Chowk Food Association, highlighted the disproportionate impact on this segment. “Sandwich businesses are the most affected because our operations rely heavily on LPG cylinders,” Modi said. “If the shortage persists, we will have to cut down on toasted sandwich options.”
According to Modi, several vendors were already reassessing their menus and operational strategies, as coal-based cooking was not suitable for all food items and could alter taste and preparation time. For now, vendors in Manek Chowk were attempting to strike a balance between maintaining service and adapting to limited resources.
(Aryan Matthews is an intern at The Indian Express, Ahmedabad)
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