A dip in footfall has followed bumper Puja business across restaurants in Kolkata and neighbouring areas.
The resumption of night curbs from Thursday will also contribute to the slump, said restaurateurs.
“A post-Puja lull is nothing new. People prefer eating at home for some days after non-stop eating out during the Puja. The return of the night curbs is an added deterrent…. But we respect the government’s concern regarding the possibility of a fresh spike in Covid cases,” said Anjan Chatterjee, the chief of Speciality Restaurants who owns several fine-dining outlets in the city.
The 11pm-5am curfew, introduced as a preventive measure against Covid, was suspended from October 10 to 20 because of the festivities.
Debaditya Chaudhury, co-owner of the Chowman, Oudh 1590 and Chapter 2 chain of restaurants, called the post-Puja slump a “natural progression”.
“Usually, people indulge in three things during Durga Puja — pandal-hopping, watching films at theatres and eating out. The first two had restrictions this time. So, people went all out for the third. After days of such frenzied eating out, fatigue sets in,” he said.
Restaurateurs are bullish that the upcoming winter season will generate solid business. The dip in revenue immediately after the Puja will be offset by the fourth quarter, they hoped.
At least one association of restaurant owners is planning to write to the state government seeking relaxation of the night curbs from November.
“If the Covid situation is under control, we would request the government to consider lifting the night curbs from November,” said Sagar Daryani, the founder of Wow! Momo and a founding member of the Kolkata chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).