A packed dining area, a bustling bar, happy chatter, clinking glasses and people grooving on the dance floor – this once-common weekend vibe went missing from city restaurants and pubs in recent times due to the Omicron wave. However, with COVID-19 cases declining, the action and entertainment is back in the city’s nightlife scene. With people finally returning for wining-and-dining experiences, restaurateurs are heaving a sigh of relief and hoping for revenue to reach pre-COVID numbers soon. “The weekend buzz in Hyderabad has picked up in a huge way. We have observed a 30% increase in footfall in recent times, since the start of the pandemic two years ago. We’re getting an overwhelming number of reservation requests everyday, and we're seeing a lot of repeat customers too, which is a great sign,” says Srikar V, co-owner of 1980’s Military Hotel in Manikonda.
‘The pandemic took two years of our lives, people are now ready to party’In the last two years, the hospitality industry has been hit so badly that many outlets had to permanently shut shop. While there have been no restrictions on bars and restaurants in the city since June 2021, the recent Omicron wave threatened to hamper the progress made by the industry. With the COVID threat now abating, there have been signs of a return to normalcy. Naren Pal Singh, co-founder, Brand Sardar, says, “Despite no restrictions being there, customers have been cautious since the start of 2022 due to the Omicron wave. However, in recent weeks, there has been a shift in mindset and people are ready to party again. There has been an upswing in spending as well. Moreover, with companies calling employees back to offices, a lot of the corporate crowd that had shifted back to their hometowns during WFH, is now coming back to our restaurants. So this summer, we’re looking to surpass pre-COVID levels.”
Live events and gigs are backWeekend gigs and DJ nights have always been big ticket events for restaurants, but when outlets were barely managing to operate with restrictions, live entertainment went missing from nightlife scene across the country. However, there’s been a change in the last few weeks and live gigs and performances are being scheduled again. “Everyone needs to earn, including the performers. So yes, live gigs and other entertainment events are back. People are pre-booking spots and our seating arrangement has been modified so that people can dance near their tables,” says restaurateur
Goumtesh Singh
, explaining that crowd management during such events will be crucial for restaurants now. A Sumanth, who’s organising a big Holi party in Hyderabad this week, adds, “Hyderabadis love to party no matter what the occasion is, and we’re looking to go all out this time. We have organised two DJs for the party and we're taking ample precautions to avoid overcrowding.” A restaurateur
Varun Khera
, also the head of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), “Crowd management is always a concern when you have a big ticket event but COVID has ensured basic sense of social distancing and balanced occupancy ratios as we still need to careful with protocols.”
‘Ready for weekend dinners again’Subhash Kanumuri, a Banjara Hills resident, is now dining out regularly after two years. “We used to go out every weekend till March 2020, but during the pandemic we decided to not eat out for the safety of kids and elders in the family. With most people now vaccinated and recovered from COVID, we have decided to go back to our ritual of pub-hopping and dinners at restaurants during weekends. Sometimes, overcrowding at restaurants is a cause for concern but I’m happy with the safety protocols that are being followed,” he says. Even those who were sticking to house parties have now started planning parties at restaurants again. “House parties are good, but partying with friends at clubs and restaurants with good music is fun. It is difficult to get that kind of ambience at home. I actually felt that some normalcy is back in life when I went out with my friends recently and got to dance at a pub,” says
Sarthak Shukla
, a manager.
‘Hygiene
and safety are top priorities now’As restaurants gear up to meet high footfall and some operational challenges that they are facing with a return of large crowds, they say that hygiene and safety is their top priority. They say that like food, interiors and music, COVID safety is now important for diners. Sudeep D, partner at Hashtag Cafe, KPHB, says, “Hygiene is the top priority of the people, especially during the pandemic. It doesn’t matter if you serve great food, if the premises are not clean and hygienic, people will not come to your restaurant. We have hired additional staff to maintain hygiene at cafe, as we're observing big crowds, especially on weekends.”
Satyajit Dhingra
, Chief Regional Officer – North, Impresario Handmade Restaurants, adds, “Hygiene and safety have become number one priority for both restaurant management as well as patrons.” Srikanth K, manager at Biryani Times, Madhapur, says, “Earlier, majority of the customers were preferring home delivery or take-away, but we’re seeing a huge spike in in-house dining in recent times. We’re leaving no stone unturned in maintaining safety and hygiene protocols at our restaurant.”