Fine dining in the city is expected to witness a 20-35 per cent drop in clientele following the fear that the Mumbai terrorist attacks have had on the psyche of the elite and hence, Mumbai’s active night-life.
Bookings in 5-star hotels and inflow of foreign tourists into India were already running low due to the global economic meltdown. With Wednesday's terror attack, the hotel industry is expected to see a rise in number of cancellations and also a substantial reduction in in-bound tourists since the terrorists have struck at the peak of the tourist season. Rajesh Radhakrishnan, executive chef at The Park, Chennai, says: “It will be anywhere between 2-6 months for people to get over the emotional trauma and return to the restaurants.”
The food and beverage (F&B) business sector in most premium hotels in India generates upwards of 50 per cent of their revenues from this sector. A senior executive from the Europe-based hospitality giant Accor group, which will start operations of Novotel in Juhu, Mumbai said, "We will generate about half of the entire revenue of the hotel from the F&B segment where we have lined up a variety of restaurants." Novotel is scheduled to open by March next year.
For instance, the Taj and the Oberoi Trident are home to some of the best restaurants in the city. Just recently, 3 of Taj and 2 of Oberoi-Tridents restaurants won the Good Food Guide for 2008-09 awards. Awards for best Japanese, best Chinese and best continental were won by Taj’s Wasabi (Japanese), Golden Dragon (Chinese) and Zodiac Grill (continental).
At, Oberoi-Trident, it was Vetro for Italian cuisine and the Gourmet Shop for best caterer. Even Oberoi-Trident’s The Tiffin where maximum number of shootouts happened during the siege is known for having one of the best Sunday brunches in the city. “Eating at any of these hi-end restaurants would cost anywhere upwards of Rs 2,500 per head,” says Rashmi Uday Singh, Author of the Good Food guide and Night life.
The drop in tourist inflow will also affect the city's popular eateries, lounges and bars. “Close to 30-35 per cent of our clientèle are foreigners and we will loose significant business as tourism decreases,” says a spokes person at Indigo a popular bar and restaurant at Colaba. While Mumbai was battling against terror most popular restaurants, bars, clubs, lounges across Mumbai were closed on Thursday and Friday. And even now, as the city breathes a sigh of relief, China House at Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz (East) which won the Good Food Guide best bar award for 2008-09 will keep its lounge shut over the weekend for security reasons.
Similarly, Hard Rock Café at Worli and Indigo at Colaba are unsure of opening over the weekend. “For the month of November we will see a drop of 15 per cent in our revenues due to being shut on Thursday and Friday. Even if we do open on the weekend there will be a significant drop in the foot falls and we will shut early for security reasons thus there will be a reduction in our overall business this season,” says Jay Singh, managing director, HR Café India Pvt Ltd.
