LPG crisis: Restaurants in Bengaluru likely to shut services as LPG supply remains uncertain

Bengaluru's restaurants face potential shutdown due to ongoing LPG supply issues, impacting services and food delivery platforms.

After cutting down on their menus, hotels and restaurants across Bengaluru are likely to shut operations from Wednesday, March 11, as uncertainty over the supply of commercial LPG cylinders continues to disrupt the sector. Several establishments, after limiting services on Tuesday, March 10, said they have no option but to halt operations if supplies are not restored soon.  

On March 10, many small eateries that serve a large section of the city’s daily workforce put up boards reading “Only tea and coffee available” while others reduced their menus. Hoteliers said items such as vada and dosa were among the first to be cut because they require continuous heat even when food is not actively being prepared, leading to higher gas consumption.  

P.C. Rao, president of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association, told The Hindu that establishments are likely to withdraw services completely from March 11.  

The impact was also visible on food delivery platforms, with several restaurants either reducing the number of items available online or temporarily suspending deliveries through aggregators. Restaurants said they had first suspended services on food delivery platforms to prioritise walk-in customers. “We do not know if we can handle online demand in this situation. If supplies are not restored, we may have to shut the establishment starting March 11,” said Mahesh Reddy, owner of Sri Ayodha Veg in Vasanth Nagar. 

Arun Adiga, owner of Vidyarthi Bhavan, said the restaurant had already scaled down operations to conserve gas. “A dosa tawa needs to remain heated constantly even while not cooking. We have shut down two of our four tawas to reduce gas consumption,” he said. On a usual weekday, the restaurant serves around 1,800 to 2,000 dosas. “We can stretch for another day or two, but beyond that, it will be very difficult if there is no solution,” he added. 

Some hoteliers said commercial cylinders are now being quoted at ₹2,800–₹3,000 in the black market, but even at those prices they are difficult to obtain.