From coal and electricity to truncated menus: how Bengaluru eateries are dealing with LPG crisis

In normal times, Prasad’s restaurants (which seat around 500 people) might order 15-16 cylinders at a time, consuming around 200 cylinders a month.

With commercial gas cylinders being virtually unavailable, Prasad is leaning on his coal-fueled tandoors and grills. He said, “Now we have revamped the menu for things that can come out of the grills and the tandoors, rather than things that are cooked with gas. We are limiting gravies and things like that.” This is not a perfect fix as Prasad estimates that he has taken a revenue hit of 40-45 per cent.

He added, “Across the city, everyone is facing issues….this is an industry that employs 8.5 million people. By stopping commercial (unsubsidised) gas supplies to restaurants, these jobs have been put at risk, but consideration has not been given to migrant workers and those who rely on the food industry.”

He added that a solution could be allocating a specific limit of cylinders for restaurants, instead of a blanket lack of supply.

Regarding the current situation, Prasad added, “It may foster an environment which creates a black market, which is very sad in such a connected world…”.

However, eatery owners like Prasad, who have set-ups consuming fuel sources other than gas, are not the true representatives of those affected. He noted, “There are so many places I know that can’t afford to keep their staff. There are places that don’t have tandoors, etc, or burners at South Indian eateries which serve items like dosas. They cannot operate without gas at all; their shutters are down”.

Another restaurateur, Just Blr proprietor Ananth Narayan, has managed to avoid the immediate impact of gas shortage as his outlets around Brigade Road rely on electricity for cooking. Many others are not in such a position.

Narayan, who is also head of the local chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India, said, “Out of 430 members, we had polled 170-100 have told us that they are out of gas cylinders, the rest will be out in the next couple of days. Most members are doing smaller menus – some are using coal pellets, others are using bio-gas (such as Empire Koramangala). Somehow, gaadi chal raha hai“.

However, Narayan is maintaining optimism. He noted that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas had stated in meetings with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) that the food and beverage sector would be given essential industry status going ahead, restoring commercial gas supply. He added, ” In the next few days, some commercial gas supply may start coming to us.”

In related news, the Bangalore Apartment Federation has also issued an advisory to its member associations, recommending residents to avoid panic bookings (which could create an artificial shortage) and also use electricity to cook where possible. The Federation also suggested steps for efficient gas usage, such as covering vessels and using pressure cookers. It also urged residents to extend support to household and association staff members during this time.