Budget eateries feel the heat of LPG price hike

Low-cost food stalls are struggling to stay afloat without hiking their prices

Shoestring budget businesses in the catering and food industry that cater to a high volume of consumers from the lowest economic strata of society are the worst hit in the past four months due to a steep rise in the price of commercial Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders.

Ranganayakulu Tea Baddi (tea kiosk) that doubles as a breakfast catering centre at Rachanapalli on the outskirts of Anantapur city used to be jam-packed in the pre-COVID-19 days from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. with a large number of skilled and unskilled labourers staying in the colonies on the Anantapur-Ballary Highway making it their pit stop before heading for work in the city.

“If COVID-19 hit a big blow, with our daily business coming down from ₹1,800 a day to ₹800 a day in June/July this year, the sharp rise in commercial gas price, which is a major input for our business, has hit hard at our profits,” described Konanki Ranganayukulu eagerly waiting for the customers.