The past couple of years saw the world come to a halt in the wake of Covid scare. Delhi, which was always buzzing with partygoers wore a deserted look for quite some time. Now, as life is going back to normal, Delhiites seems to be out of their slumber and hitting their favourite night spots with the same gusto. So are things really back to normal? Some of the prominent restaurateurs gave us a clear picture of the revived nightlife of the city and how people are dealing with the post-lockdown era.
Mr. Pankaj Mendiratta, Owner, Tama Brewery and World Kitchen says, "During the third wave, the government has imposed the deadline of running the restaurants to 11 PM till the month of March. Once that deadline was uplifted, the restaurants and bars have seen a sudden spike of footfall. The one thing that has changed post-COVID is the mindset of people dining out late at night. I am glad people are adopting the new mindset of dine-in! Also, we have a great administrative support which takes our brand to cater best services till 2 AM."
Mr .Hitesh kapoor (Lords Of The Drinks, East Delhi) revealed, "The flow of young generation post the covid phase is witnessed to be growing at enormous pace and are seems to be more interested in intimate lounges, bespoke experiences and upscale restaurants, leaving only the select few of eras past still interested in traditional nightclubs. We at Lord of the Drinks East, took the opportunity and advantage of the lockdown period to understand the new needs of the people and finally invent a place, that appeals to most attendees. We took a lot of effort to understand & "create a place which provides enthralling experience to the guests with scrumptious savouries from world cuisine, delectable concoctions, beautiful outdoor space & that energetic vibe". Not to miss with all possible safety measures.
This is also an appeal via this medium to all patrons to show love and respect for us as an industry who has gone through extreme setbacks and put in great efforts to reopen & extend our services, he added.
Footfalls are as good as pre-covid, even up 40%," said Mehul Poddar who runs the Toro in Saket, Delhi. Mehul said diners are back to celebrating birthdays and social functions as well as the occasional get-togethers during the week & attending events on weekends. Tourists, both domestic and international, are also turning up in significant numbers.
Customers are definitely stepping out more, sometimes even on weekdays. They are also consuming more premium food at Toro. The experience of going-out has really gone up by several notches. Vaccination has really helped ease down the covid scare in customer's mind. I think everyone is aware that we need to learn to co-exist with covid-19," he added.