Bars swing back to life, stare at gloomy weekend

Kolkata: Bars across Kolkata saw a rush of tipplers on Friday, desperate for a swig after a four-day dry period since April 20, imposed due to the elections. Sales surged threefold at many restaurants even as another dry period commences from 6 pm on Saturday and continues till April 29. Some places ran out of liquor stock by late evening since they had not been able to procure supplies over the past four days. Footfall soared at Songhai-Manthan in central Kolkata that saw an occupancy slump to 25% this week. By early evening, adjoining MS Bar & Lounge, too, was fully occupied. "We had a waiting crowd. This is the peak summer season and we have had a big crowd since lunch. Beer sales reached an unprecedented high in the afternoon while all other liquors were frequently ordered as well. We sent out WhatsApp messages, informing our patrons that the bar would reopen for a day-and-a-half from Friday. We had offers on alcohol. The footfall surge also led to a threefold rise in food sales," said Sudesh Poddar, owner of Songhai-Manthan and MS Bar & Lounge and the president of Hotel and Restaurants Association of Eastern India (HRAEI). The small ‘window' in the middle of the long dry stretch in Bengal saw Kolkata's party street spring back to life. Park Street restaurants saw waiting queues. One Step Up had a bigger lunch crowd than the last three days and the footfall rose sharply in the evening. "The last two days were exceptionally dull, in terms of footfall and sales. Both went up significantly on Friday. We had several tables booked in advance for dinner. Liquor sales were good," said Viraj Kothari of One Step Up. Across the road, Oasis, too, saw a "reasonable turnout". "While lunch was better, we had a good evening crowd after four days. Food sales were driven by the return of liquor, albeit for a day. It helped that the IPL evening match was a good one, so we had youngsters dropping in for dinner and drinks," said owner Pratap Daryanani.Several south Kolkata bars like Tripty's in Bhowanipore, which had shut during the four-day prohibition, opened shutters. The popular watering hole saw a huge turnout.Bars across Sector V, too, did brisk business. Of the 40-odd bar-cum-restaurants in the IT hub, around 20-25 had been shut since Monday. The manager of Barcode in Sector V, Pranab Mukherjee, said, "We got the crowd back and hope to make up for some of the losses." Barcode was one of the bars that remained closed since April 20.Chapter 2 in south Kolkata also saw a footfall surge. The restaurant, which is now hosting a Goan food festival, had witnessed a sales slump since Monday. "Since Goan food goes well with liquor, the alcohol prohibition affected us. But footfall spiked exceptionally on Friday. People seemed to be out to make the most of this window. We had a packed house from afternoon till late evening. Unfortunately, the momentum is going to be broken again on Saturday as liquor prohibition returns," said owner and co-founder Shiladitya Chaudhury.
Get real-time updates and result insights on the UBSE UK Board Results 2026 and CBSE 12th Result 2026