Avid foodies used to patiently wait for their turn to savour the spicy Nellore signature dish ‘Chepala Pulusu’ (fish curry) with steamed rice at an overcrowded hotel near the Madras bus stand centre. This common sight is a thing of past now, despite lockdown relaxation allowing opening of restaurants.
It is no longer business as usual for the limited number of restaurants that opened with skeleton staff as most people living outside the containment zone do not dare to step out of their homes.
"We have kept the restaurant open expecting our regular customers to flock to the eatery once again to enjoy the sumptuous food sooner than later," says G.V. Krishna Reddy, owner of a popular restaurant in Nellore. They were not able to gross even 20% of the daily turnover achieved during the normal times.
Aid package
Mr. Reddy, also vice-president of the Andhra Pradesh Hoteliers’ Association, seeks a financial package to revive the industry which was on the verge of collapse.
The Unlock 2.0 which promised a ‘new normal’ did not have a salutary effect on the industry for a variety of reasons, including absence of skilled workers who have migrated to their native places, says hotelier K. Srinivasa Rao who ensures that not more than 3 to 4 persons are in the restaurant at any given time.
They had taken care of the workers’ food and accommodation during most of the four-phase lockdown. "We cannot afford to pay them without regular business," explains another hotelier Hazarath Babu.
The occcupancy in the hotels in the two districts, which used to be more than 80%, has dipped to about 10%. It may take six months to one year for normalcy to return.
