Dine to dawn

Having midnight hunger pangs Looking for a peaceful romantic date at night Here’s some good news — the Union Cabinet has recently approved a model law which allows shops, restaurants, cinemas, banks and other such establishments to be open 24*7 throughout the year. However, the implementation of the Model Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Bill 2016 depends on individual states and Union territories. Additionally, the establishments have been given the flexibility to open and close at their convenience. While some experts from the hospitality sector are lauding the move, there are others who are receiving the news with a dash of caution.

Safety and maturity Looking at the positive aspect of the policy, Sumeet Yadav, CEO, Nando’s India says, “It is a sign to the world that we are maturing as a country and getting more confident with our policies and outlook. The move will benefit business in the long term, especially on weekends when the number of people dining out or visiting malls is relatively higher. It will also improve employment opportunities in the F&B and retail sector, even though getting the right manpower will be a challenge initially.”

Pointing out the biggest benefiters from the proposed move, Sonia Mohindra, director, Under One Roof Hotel Consultants says, “The biggest boon will be for the ‘value segment’ in the industry, whether it’s a QSR, cafe, food court or even stand-alone in a relatively budget category. The upper segment can afford to walk into a five-star hotel’s coffee shop at any hour of the night. But the value segment customer will enjoy the new rule, once F&B places decide to adopt it. To be able to get food at 1 am or 4 am that is clean, hygienic, not from a roadside vendor, and having an option to choose between multiple places would be a big boon for the BPO sector, and the night shift workers within the hospitality sector and the media.”

Rather than imposition of strict rules and timings, it is the relaxation of the same that adds to safety and security, feels Sonia. She adds, “In the long run, we’ll all surprise ourselves at the maturity of our city/locality and the number of feared incidents will probably drop because roaming late at night, in mixed groups, or women in malls, shopping or dining late at night, will become ‘normal’. If the world can sell alcohol on the street-side in a kiosk and not fear an incident, so can we! Just imagine if something as large as Mall of India would remain open all night. It would change the way we imagine Noida or Delhi post-midnight. Even if a percentage of retail stores choose to remain open, supported by the food court and a few QSRs, and possibly a night market, it would add gaiety to the complete scenario and the whole skyline, and the attitude of our city would change completely.”

Hypothesis to reality Rahul Singh, founder and CEO, The Beer Cafe feels that a lot needs to be done to ensure that this translates into a reality and doesn’t end up failing like previously implemented laws. “A restaurant serving liquor needs multiple licenses to operate. To make it successful, several departments (Local corporations, Police and Excise) will have to change their rules to permit 24x7 functioning of establishments, and that might be a challenge,” he points out.

He goes on, “The ultimate decision to adopt or modify the law lies with the respective states and each one has a different policy or act that the bylaws are drawn from.”

Safety is another concern that comes with this model, feels Shagun Somani, owner of Zerzura lounge and Hinglish cafe that is located in a mall. “The government will need to emphasise on security beyond just lip service to minimise incidents, and to support restaurants and other late night outlets when a fracas breaks out. The particular emphasis on gender equality even on night shifts should be watched and seriously implemented to provide employment to women while ensuring the safety of these malls and restaurants,” she says.

Adding to this, Vikrant Batra, owner of Cafe Delhi Heights points out, “It is also important to implement the model effectively as restaurants and pubs will need to acquire a lot of permissions from various licensing departments.”

Match screenings, midnight cravings and more Simar Bedi, owner, Bronies gastropub in Defence Colony, is hopeful about the fact that he will be able to screen the late night Euro matches and other sports that are relayed at night. “I’ve been wanting to screen the late night Euro matches and have been unable to do so because we need to close latest by 1 am, and the matches begin at 12.30 am. This move will ensure that by the time the Euro Cup kicks in after 4 years, there’ll be plenty of late night football along with cocktails and team platters. Similarly, with Rio games’ timings that begin late at night, we look forward to hosting guests who get late night hunger pangs, or those looking for post studies/post work dates.”

Agreeing with Simar, Gurpal Chawla, owner of Hunger Station, Sohna Road says, “If we could stay open round the clock, we’d have room for menu improvisations that work well for night time hunger pangs. We’ll be able to cater to different companies with several hundred employees working late at night. Already, given the number of employees, this is a safe and relatively crowded area even at night so a 24-hour running, affordable food court with great food and not just fast food options would be the icing on the cake.”

Buzzing nightlife The law, if implemented correctly by the state, will add zing to the nightlife. Priyank Sukhija, owner, Lord of the Drinks Forum says and adds, “Finally, I see something good happening to Delhi’s nightlife. Normally, we struggle to operate post 12 am. We see many customers heartbroken when they have to leave early due to strict deadlines, so this will bring in more happiness and buzz around.”

Adds Vinayak Gupta, chef and partner, Tawak, “It will add vibrance to the food and nightlife scene, putting us in the league of global party hubs such as Miami or Barcelona.”

Numbers game Pointing out some of the challenges involved in implementing such a model, Umang Tewari, owner, Cafe OMG, Oh My God puts forth, “On the operations front, it will be difficult as the increased operational hours would imply increased costing, increased staff, etc. Manpower would be a big challenge. Sustaining the same quality during the day and night hours would be the toughest task. This policy will be successful only if the number of people visiting the restaurant during the night are at least 40-45 per cent of the number that visit during the day.”

Opening 24*7 would require special efforts from the restaurant staff in terms of new menus and special offers. Varun Puri and Manish Sharma, owners at Molecule Air Bar assert, “If we have to open our restaurants for an additional 10 hours, then we need to gear up for new menus, increased staff, efficient working hours, specially curated promotions and exciting offers to woo the customers.”