Commercial kitchens in Pune look for fuel options, many pause ops

Pune: Many restaurants across the city came to the brink of slashing operating hours, cutting menus, experimenting with makeshift cooking methods and even closing kitchens all thanks to the ongoing LPG shortage.

Industry representatives said the crisis has intensified over the past few days after several eateries temporarily shutting down due to their gas supply runs out.


Ganesh Shetty, president of the Pune Restaurant and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA), told TOI that many restaurants were no longer able to function through the day and have started rationing their remaining cylinders. "Several restaurants were opening only for a few hours and not the entire day. Dosa items have completely disappeared from many places, while in others, they were being served only for limited morning or evening hours. We have been cutting down dishes that consume more gas and surviving on a restricted menu," he said.

According to Shetty, kitchens that earlier used one cylinder per day were now stretching the same for two to three days. "Restaurants have been carefully rationing gas. Some have shifted bulk cooking and staff meals to coal or wood fires just to conserve LPG. Slow cooked dishes and items that need constant heat were the hardest to manage because you cannot repeatedly heat equipment like a dosa tawa from scratch every time an order comes in," he said.

The shortage has also pushed some restaurants to seek costly alternatives just to keep their kitchens operational. "In some cases, cylinders were being sold in the black market for 6,000 to 7,000 each. Many small restaurants cannot afford such cost, but were forced to consider," he said.

On the other hand, LPG crisis has also driven up the price of commercial induction stoves. "On March 5, a commercial induction cost around 6,000 to 6,500. Yesterday, the same unit was being quoted at 42,000 with a six day waiting period. Even then it has not been a permanent solution because frying items was difficult on induction."

Saili Jahagirdar, head of National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), Pune chapter, said the crisis has reached an alarming stage. "Everyone in the industry was scrambling. Until yesterday, restaurants were somehow managing. Today, many have exhausted their stock," she said.

According to Jahagirdar, more than 15% of restaurants in the city have shut operations temporarily. "Some places have tried to adapt by using inductions or other alternatives, but that was only a partial solution. There has not been any clarity on how long this situation would continue," she said.

Jahagirdar also had a meeting with MNGL officials to find a solution to the crisis. "MNGL officials have stepped up and would fastrack piped gas connection for restaurants that were in the vicinity of existing pipelines," she said.

The disruption was also affecting customers ordering food online. Rohit Kulkarni, an IT professional from Hinjewadi, said the choices available on delivery apps have noticeably shrunk. "Many restaurants have started appearing closed on the apps. The ones that were open have smaller menus and warn customers that orders may take longer than usual," he said.

Shetty said the industry was hoping for relief within the next 10 to 15 days after the minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri announced in the Parliament that oil marketing companies would allocate around 20% of average commercial LPG demand to ensure fair distribution. "The announcement has given us some hope, but on the ground we were still waiting for the supply to stabilise," he said.