Restaurant owners threaten to close outlets in Udupi

Udupi: Restaurant owners in the district, on Friday, announced that they will be forced to shut their establishments if the ongoing LPG shortage crisis continues. Members of Udupi District Hotel Owners' Association said that they will be forced to shut restaurants for one week if the govt fails to address their concern. They stated that using firewood is not an ideal solution and is not feasible either. Majority employees are not familiar with cooking on firewood, the members noted.Hotel owner in Udupi said the shortage of LPG has already affected the restaurants. "We plan to tweak the food menu considering the non-availability of LPG cylinders," he said. Another hotelier from Manipal said his outlet already dropped some of the popular dishes from the menu. "Since dosa requires continuous burning of LPG stoves, we excluded them from the menu," he said. Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP Kota Shrinivas Poojary, who arrived at the meeting venue, said that the current crisis is temporary and the problem will be solved within a week. The MP also assured that he will discuss the concerns with the Udupi DC.