Since the Coivd-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world, numerous restaurants in the country succumbed to his anger. Those who somehow managed to sail through the first wave were left derelict by the second. And now, with the third wave looming over us, many restaurateurs have no choice but to close shop.
In addition, the incessant lockdowns have left the losses scarring. In Bengaluru, curfews imposed due to the pandemic have hit Tao Terraces hard.
The restaurant, a favorite among many, closed its doors on Saturday. Its owner, Naren Beliappa, wrote an emotional message saying that repeated closures, exorbitant rentals and government apathy have left him no choice but to close for the time being.
Beliappa wrote: “Your favorite music destination, the Tao Terraces, is closing today. Our biggest challenge has been high rents and the fact that we are the first to close every time restrictions are announced and the last to reopen. When we temporarily closed our doors last March, none of us would have thought that 21 months later, Covid would still be rife. But we kept our hopes high, even in an impossible situation, because we love what we do…present the best music to the best audience in the world!”
He added: “It has become unviable and unsustainable. How do we pay excise duties, run our business and pay our staff on repeated closures?”
The New Indian Express reported that the head of the Bengaluru branch of the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) and co-founder of the popular Toit microbrewery, Mukesh Tolani, had approached the excise department, asking that the curfew be relaxed until 11:30 p.m. . from 10 p.m. on weekdays.
“We have lost a large part of our turnover due to the pandemic. Our weekday activities are minimal due to the lack of IT crowd. Curfew from 10pm, and now the weekend curfew has dealt a heavy blow to restaurants, pubs and bars. Forget business, our very survival and that of our workforce is at stake,” he said.
He added that their attempts to meet with the Prime Minister and the Excise Commissioner to discuss the same never materialized.
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