Connaught Place eateries facing huge losses

New Delhi: The 21 rooftop restaurants, facing stern action after the untoward incidents in the last few weeks, are now using all their power and muscle to seek relief. The swanky bars, already in talks with the NDMC after their rooftops were sealed, are now working towards getting another structure safety certificate. It should be noted that all these restaurants, that have been partially shut, already have a safety certificate.

The rooftop of these bars and eateries were sealed by the NDMC after the rooftop area of a famous restobar caved in. In a detailed ground report, this newspaper explores the practical constraints faced by these outlets.

Connaught Place (CP), which is reportedly the most expensive market in Asia, is now facing a huge loss in terms of business. If we look at the figures, in the past week the eateries have faced around 30-40 per cent business loss.

“We are already on the receiving end with this move. CP is a heritage area. When people come here, they come for the open-air terrace experience. With the new bars and restaurants, the market had become a booming place for eating out. We are in the process of procuring another certificate so that we can start operation in the terrace areas. Our association has met the NDMC chairperson and we will meet him again in a day or two,” CP Restaurant Association’s president, Priyank Sakhuja, said. Mr Sakhuja, who also runs the Warehouse Cafe in CP, feels that the footfall in the market has reduced in the past one week after the shutting of rooftops took place on February 8.

While the restaurants feel the action against them is stringent, it should be noted that the market has seen a recent mushrooming of bars and outlets in the last few years. CP has housed 70-80 new restaurants in the last 3-4 years.

The spurt of new outlets is not a new concern. Last year, the New Delhi Traders’ Association (NDTA) had written to NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar to cap the number of restaurants on rooftops, citing excess load on heritage structures.

Apart from the obvious loss of business, there is a volley of logistical concerns that Connaught Place restaurants are facing. Since the terrace areas are sealed, bars with kitchens and toilets on the terrace are facing serious crisis.

Moreover, terrace areas house the generators and water tanks for these restaurants. So if CP faces power cuts, the restaurants will be in a soup. “If the lights go out, we won’t be able to serve our guests better,” Mr Sakhuja added.

Since profits have substantially gone down for the restaurants, the outlets will have to bear the hefty rent amount from their own pockets. “The seating has been reduced with the sealing and the profits have taken a hit. We would now talk to the landlords for a concession. So essentially, someone has to bear the cost,” said food entrepreneur Zorawar Kalra, who owns the Farzi Café among other restaurants. The café has been running in CP for one year. The seating for his café, amongst the plethora of restaurants he runs in the city, has reduced to fifty per cent.

Mr Kalra also explained how the incident has sort of caused confusion in the market, “Of course there is lack of clarity. We get calls from our customers asking if we are operating or not. While all the restaurants are working in unity with each other to find a quick solution, the ambiguity is affecting our business. We don’t have any problems in getting another certificate to be doubly sure of the structure. For us, the customers’ safety and experience is of prime importance. NDMC has been doing its audits in the past. We hope that we find an amicable solution to the problem.”