Many upscale places in Mumbai won’t be opening anytime soon – Times of India

Although restaurants have been allowed to open from Monday, many upscale cafes and restaurants say they will continue to stay shut for the moment, choosing the safety of delivery and takeout over the risks of a half-filled dining room.
Opening at half capacity mean high costs for little profit, restaurateurs say, and the additional burden of protecting the safety of their customers and employees. Despite the months of lost revenue, many say they will wait a while especially for more information on public transport options. A few are even willing to hold off until the pandemic curve has flattened or a vaccine is available.
“As much as I would like to open, I cannot endanger our guests or our staff, says Pushparaj Shetty, owner of Dynasty, a 55-cover restaurant on SV Road. He is also concerned about being able to control the situation after opening. “People don’t always listen and if customers refuse to follow safety protocol, I don’t want to get into a fight with them.”
But for most, the obstacle to starting dine-in is simply that the math doesn’t add up. Restaurants can now serve less than half the usual customers given restrictions on capacity and the requirement to maintain a distance of one metre between two tables. Extra safety measures also mean more staff. “To lay out the entire paraphernalia with full staff, organise and sanitise crockery and cutlery with fresh protocol, and run 100% overheads — but then not be able to serve more than seven guests,” said Hardeep Chadha of Khane Khas, “[It] doesn’t make sense.”
Even some of the usually bustling Udupi restaurants are wary of reopening for now. Pramod Nayak, owner of Poornima in Fort, said he won’t open dine-in for at least another month. Most of his staffers are still in their hometowns and offices in the area haven’t fully opened yet. “Besides fear factor, people are also not spending much on eating out because of economic uncertainty,” he says.
For Sannat Ahuja, owner of the 35-seater Sindhful in Khar, reopening dine-in services would mean taking on new supply and maintenance costs. “It’s not commercially viable,” he said, adding “We’ve taken a call to continue with deliveries until the first quarter of next year when things are clearer about the vaccine.”
Neville Bose of Kala Ghoda Cafe said he was waiting for more “clarity” on local transport. The cafe has set up dormitory-style accommodation within the premises for 15 staff members. “We can’t open up the cafe and have them living there at the same time,” said Bose. At the sometime, “how would they travel everyday from their homes in Virar and Andheri?”
Some small cafe owners like The Nutracker’s Annie Bafna, are optimistic about re-opening in a phased manner. But even large restaurants like Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, which are well-equipped to implement the new safety rules, are concerned about whether they would be able to provide a welcoming atmosphere.
“With face-masks, gloves, shields and other restrictions in place, the restaurant may appear sterile to our guests,” said Sameer Seth, partner, Hunger Inc, which owns these restaurants. They have decided to wait till the end of the month.
Some cafe owners are also worried about the risk of the virus spreading through air vents in small spaces. But architect Prasad Shetty said that that spatial design was less of an issue than the management of human density.
“Instead of retrofitting restaurant interiors, one should look at opening up alternative open-air spaces like parks, gardens and promenades close to restaurant clusters where one can take food to sit and eat,” he said. “Unfortunately, over the past few years, the outdoor space has shrunk.”