A walk through the streets of Bandra reveals a graveyard of eating houses. Some have died natural deaths — poor business decisions, expired leases and people losing interest — a phenomenon common in the hospitality business anywhere. However, there are others that reflect a systemic problem. In the past year alone, Mangiamo, Lagerbay, Shockk, Ivy, Spice Tree, Red Ant, among others, have been forced to shut shop. Bandra is clearly losing the lustre of its crown. Gautham Rao, a broker who works in the suburb, says its allure lies in its high population density. “It is a very convenient place to live, and it is centrally located. More importantly, there are schools, colleges, hospitals, eateries, pubs, places to shop, all within a short distance of each of other.” But it’s this same convenience which is now the suburb’s biggest problem. With the standalone eatery boom of 2004, Bandra became an obvious choice for business with its proximity to the island city and the central and northern suburbs. Joints sprung up in nooks and corners, most of them in and around residential buildings. It was only a matter of time before residents locked horns with owners. The shutdown of Zenzi in 2011 following years of litigation after complaints by a resident is a case in example. Lagerbay, which replaced Zenzi the same year it shut, is facing the same problem and had to stop operations a month ago. “It’s become impossible to conduct business in Bandra,” says Ramesh Dabholkar, owner of Lagerbay. “If they don’t want us to run businesses, why issue licences in the first place?” He is now looking for places to open in Andheri and Powai. The frustration of the residents is warranted, no doubt, with traffic and noise being a nightmare. Anandini Thakoor, chairperson of the H-West Ward Federation, says they have stopped talking with eateries because it has not yielded results. She met a top cop recently urging him not to issue licences to places in residential areas at all. She says he agreed. “We now take action against anyone flouting rules, through the police and the BMC. Bandra was the queen of the suburbs much before these people came in. We don’t want eateries in Bandra at all. Let them shift to a secluded place, maybe Bandra-Kurla Complex,” says Thakoor. The truth is, the shift has already begun. But not only to BKC. Twenty new joints have opened in Andheri (W) in the past three years, some of which are owned by people who already own places in Bandra, such as Big Bang Cafe, Jam Jar, WTF. Powai is not too far behind, with at least 10 opening in the same period and these include Rumour, Breeze, Harry’s, among others. Lower Parel has become a hub for people with deep pockets with clubs such as Li Bai and Auriga and restaurants such as Byblos Kitchen + Bar, o:h Cha Kitchen & Bar, among others. Bandra has had its fair share of new joints too, but most of these are old ones taken over by new owners. This is not only because Bandra is difficult for business. The rents are pinching both the crowd and the businesses too. Any restaurant or bar owner will tell you that their target audience is upwardly mobile working professionals in their 20s and 30s. Bandra has become unaffordable for this lot. Forget buying a house, even renting it means leaving spare change for a living. Kiran Makhija (29), a digital marketing professional, recently moved to Andheri from Bandra and rarely ever visits Bandra any more. “With a budget of Rs 30,000, I could not get a decent 1 BHK in Bandra. I have gone a little over what I wanted to spend, but I rented a beautiful 2BHK in Lokhandwala for Rs 36,000,” says Makhija, who goes out often, and always in Andheri. Adarsh Munjal, a well-known food blogger who has changed six flats in the past decade in Bandra, is now looking for places in Andheri (W). “Andheri is the place to be for my work. There are so many new places to check out, and it is buzzing with activity,” he says. Makhija and Munjal have only joined scores of professionals who are moving out of Bandra. A glance through Flats Without Brokers, a group on Facebook that offers people a chance to skip brokerage, reflects this change. A few years ago, most people on the group would list places to rent in Bandra. Now, you’d be hard pressed to find a single one in this suburb. Yasho Sonathalia, one of the partners at Boveda in Andheri, says, “The biggest problem with Andheri has been the quality of crowd, who does not want to spend much. We did struggle initially, but over the past five months, I have seen a change. People from town and Bandra travel to Boveda as well.” As a hub for culture, Bandra has not had much anyway. Colaba is still the stronghold for art galleries in the city and National Centre for Performing Arts at Nariman Point and Prithvi Theatre in Juhu still are the best venues for theatre. The music gigs held at Mehboob Studios pale in comparison to those at National Sports Club of India at Worli and Blue Frog at Lower Parel. Even the new airport hangar-like venue at Richardson & Cruddas in Byculla has hosted more exciting gigs this year. So, where does all this leave Bandra? Of course, Bandra will always have its beautiful promenades. Do visit, if a long walk into the sunset is your thing.
