Jamshedpur: Restaurant owners and food vendors in Steel City have reported a sharp drop in customers, with many of them having to cut down menus to tide over the LPG supply disruptions.“Due to the LPG crisis, we are selling limited food items. Many dishes which the customers relish are not being prepared. This has a direct impact on customer footfall,” Gopal, who runs a dosa and idli stall in Kadma, said on Friday.
“In the black market, we have to purchase LPG cylinders at almost 2.5 times the actual cost, which is not possible. As a result, many vendors have shut shop,” he said, pointing at many closed food vending carts nearby.“Since the West Asia conflict began, I have stopped making jalebis as I had to shift to a diesel stove,” said Ashok Gupta, another vendor, adding, “I am making a few sweets and samosas. Due to the curtailed menu, my profit margin has gone down by almost 50%. I am hoping for the LPG supply to become normal.”Rohit Singh, who runs a popular restaurant-cum-bar in the city, said, “I have had no menu options for my patrons for the past one week. I can offer them only a few dishes, which I can prepare with the reserve PG stocks. This has affected footfall. Due to Navratri, many people refrain from consuming outside food, especially non-veg items. Both have led to fall in my profit margins. I am hopeful the footfall will be better from Saturday as Navratri ends.”In the past nine days, sale of chicken, mutton, eggs and fish in the city has also dropped more than half compared to normal days.
