Pune restaurants seek clarity over sudden 10pm shutters down orders

Pune: Restaurateurs and late-night eatery owners in Camp, Kothrud, Paud Road and Deccan have voiced sharp concerns as police-mandated 10pm shutdowns begin to cut deeply into their earnings.

Police attributed the move to a rise in crime in certain parts of the city. Those in the hospitality sector said the sudden curbs were turning an already challenging business environment starkly inhospitable.

Several restaurant owners said police personnel were enforcing early closures without any official notification. “Some police personnel came to our restaurant around 10.30pm and asked us to shut down. They said from now on, we must close by 10pm due to increasing crime,” a restaurateur in Camp said.

Another restaurateur on East Street questioned the basis of such directives. “If govt allows shops and establishments to operate round the clock, why these sudden restrictions? Our restaurant usually runs till 11.30pm and closing procedures extend beyond midnight. It is becoming extremely difficult to sustain business under such uncertainty,” the restaurateur said.

Hospitality industry representatives echoed similar concerns, pointing to the absence of formal guidelines mandating early closures. According to them, the sudden enforcement, especially during weekends and the peak summer dining season, was affecting footfall and revenue.

“Shutdowns are being selectively enforced in several parts of the city. There is no official rule requiring restaurants to close by 10pm. Diners often step out late, particularly on weekends, and these restrictions disrupt business operations,” a spokesperson from the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Pune chapter, said.

The restaurant owners also flagged inconsistency in enforcement across neighbourhoods. “Why are only certain areas being targeted? Places like Kalyaninagar and Koregaon Park are not facing such curbs. Restaurants have become easy targets for broader issues,” a Kothrud-based restaurateur said.

Associations representing the hospitality sector said they had initiated discussions with the police to seek clarity. “We are in dialogue with the police department on behalf of the industry,” a spokesperson from the Pune Restaurant & Hoteliers Association (PRAHA), said.

Diners, too, have expressed frustration over the development. “Restrictions on roadside hawkers might make sense, but why established restaurants? Many families and working professionals go out for dinner only around 9.30pm on weekends,” Kothrud resident Neha Chavan said.

The residents said Pune’s vibrant late-evening dining culture could be significantly impacted, especially in popular food hubs that remain busy well into the night. With factors like long work hours, traffic congestion and summer heat delaying dinner outings, early closures pose inconvenience to both customers and businesses.

Responding to the concerns, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the drive was part of a crime-control effort and was not targeted at licensed restaurants. “We are acting against roadside food carts, paan stalls and eateries that encroach on footpaths by placing tables and chairs. We are not taking action against establishments that follow prescribed closing norms,” Kumar told TOI.

He said such late-night roadside setups often attracted individuals with criminal backgrounds. “People with police records tend to gather at these spots during late hours, after which they sometimes engage in criminal activities,” Kumar said.

The crackdown followed a recent violent incident in Balajinagar, where five men and a minor allegedly opened fire at an autorickshaw driver before assaulting him in a crowded area outside an eatery. Police said the attack was orchestrated at the behest of city gangster Bandu alias Suryakant Andekar.