Mangaluru: The LPG shortage has begun hitting small hotels and eateries across the city, pushing operators to slash menus and cut staff wages to stay afloat.With regular operations disrupted, many small establishments are struggling to cope, as most cannot switch to firewood because of space constraints. Left with few alternatives, several hotels have begun tweaking their menus, reducing the number of dishes and dropping items that require longer cooking time.A staff member at a hotel in Mannagudda that serves fish curry meals said they were forced to stop offering traditional Mangaluru boiled rice, or kuchalakki, from Friday and switch to white rice, as boiled rice takes considerably longer to cook and consumes more LPG.Naveen, owner of a hotel in Jeppu, said the crisis has forced them to temporarily stop serving Chinese dishes and reduce the number of chicken and fish items on the menu. “We discussed the situation with our staff and decided to pay them 50% of their salaries for now. We are going through a tough time. On one hand, our business is hit, and on the other, we have to take care of our staff as well. If we ask them not to work, it will be difficult to find workers again when normal operations resume,” he said.The hotel usually requires around 12 to 15 LPG cylinders a month. On an average day, it uses about 15kg of boiled rice, 4kg of white rice and around 3kg of rice for biryani, along with 15 to 18kg of fish and 18 to 20kg of chicken.Many other small hotels in the city are closely watching the situation. According to Naveen, several North Indian operators running street fast-food outlets are finding it particularly difficult to sustain their businesses amid the shortage.Meanwhile, an outlet that sells rolls took to social media seeking help. In an Instagram post, the outlet urged people to bring a commercial LPG cylinder to the nearest branch, promising to offer 25 rolls in return.
