LPG crisis: 40% of Kerala’s restaurants down shutters; firewood price skyrockets

KOCHI: The crisis due to shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has aggravated with nearly 40% of restaurants in state being shut, while those remaining open are drastically rejigging their menus to stay afloat.

"The worst hit are eateries in urban hubs like Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, where fire-safety norms and congested buildings make switching to traditional firewood impossible. Of the nearly one lakh hotels, small and big, nearly 40% have downed shutters," general secretary of Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association (KHRA) N Abdul Razak told TOI.

KHRA issued guidelines, including on the use of alternatives such as combi-ovens, induction stoves and electric steamers. It urged hotels in each region to cooperate and cook bulk food at a common place, pooling resources and then distributing to individual units. The guidelines include rejigging and slashing of menus as much as possible and rearranging working hours.

This means popular items like dosa and appam, which have to be made afresh, are being suspended in favour of bulk-cooked items like chapatis and parottas.

"We've reduced the volume of dishes like dosa and poori. We'll serve them only during key hours, such as breakfast hour. After that customers will be provided chapatis and parottas, which can be cooked in bulk and kept in warming trays and casseroles. Also, meals won't be provided till the crisis ends as it requires preparing a lot of dishes. Instead, we're serving biryani items," said Shibu G, secretary, India Coffee Board Workers Cooperative Society, which operates 45 branches in state.

"We've requested distributors to supply at least one gas cylinder per day to each unit. The plan is to stay afloat as the organization employs over 1,600 personnel," he added.

Rise in secondary costs
Meanwhile, to compensate for gas shortage, many establishments attempted to switch to traditional wood-fired stoves. However, this sudden shift in demand sent the price of firewood skyrocketing.

"Firewood prices have risen suddenly due to increased demand. Now, one has to pay Rs 90 per thookam (stacked pile of dry firewood equivalent to 1 cubic metre), an increase of Rs 15 to Rs 20 in just a couple of days," said Razak.

The hidden costs of running a modern kitchen have surged. Prices of aluminum containers for bulk storage and delivery and polycarbonate bottles (vital byproduct for beverage and packaging) have climbed steadily. Hoteliers are left with a difficult choice: pass on costs to the public or operate at a net loss.

"We won't increase rates as part of our commitment to customers. Earlier, we faced a similar crisis during Covid period," Shibu noted.

The crisis is not just for materials. The industry is currently witnessing a mass exodus of labourers from north India.

"The migrant workforce forms the industry's backbone, particularly in fast-food and parotta-making segments. Most of them are returning home with no jobs here and elections approaching. This will be a huge challenge to eateries when they spring back after this crisis," Razak added.