Bengaluru: Retail stores, malls and restaurants have not warmed to the idea of staying open until 1 am. They cite staffing and safety concerns.
On July 29, the Karnataka government issued an order extending the deadline for hotels, shops and other establishments under BBMP to 1 am. Chief minister Siddaramaiah had announced the plan during the Karnataka budget to further trade and commerce.
None of the merchants of the Brigade Road Shops and Establishments Association are open to the idea, said Suhail Yusuf, secretary. There is no guarantee they will get enough footfall to offset the cost of hiring extra staff. Expecting the existing staff to work longer is impractical as they are already overworked. They also risk “nuisance” from pub-goers in the CBD. He feels the idea won’t take off “until the law and order is beefed up”.
Stores selling books, mobile phones and pop culture merchandise on Church Street and M G Road believe the move will only benefit F&B outlets. One shopkeeper dealing in apparels said, “This is not a residential area. Once the office crowd leaves, there is not much business for us. It will be a waste of time and electricity too.”
Restaurant owners aren’t too excited either. Hasan Mandal, manager of a biryani outlet on Church Street, said, “As a pilot, we ran our restaurant until 1 am between April and May. We hired six extra staff for a total salary of Rs 1.2 lakh. We didn’t see much footfall post 10-11 pm.”
Vijay Kumar, operations manager of a brewery on the same street, doesn’t see late-night operations bringing in additional revenue. His outlet carries on business until 12.30 am. “The office crowd that would come at 7.30 pm now goes home, freshens up and drops by around 10.30 pm. It is just their timing that has shifted,” he said.
Big eateries are also taking things slowly. Shekar Naidu runs a popular chain but has extended the timings of only two outlets — one in Rajajinagar and another near Airport Road. He welcomes the idea but says if they don’t get enough diners, they run
the risk of food wastage.
The ease of doing business is another concern, says a franchise owner of a coffee shop in Rajajinagar. “I tried running my outlet until 1 am for three months but I faced a lot of opposition from residents. They would call the Hoysala cops on me. My outlet is not located in a commercial area and residents are irked by young people hanging around,” he says.
P C Rao of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association admits that the adoption of the 1 am rule has been slow but he is optimistic. He feels F&B outlets, retail stores and malls will benefit only if they all remain open, allowing the crowd to float from one to another. “We hope by Deepavali we can convince all the establishments,” he says.