Bars receiving good response in Kolkata after reopening from September 1: Official

Poddar said the reopening of bars inside restaurants came as a much-need relief as many such units were considering shutting shop due to high operational costs. He, however, said, sales were down in the Salt Lake Sector-V area as most people having offices there were working from home at present.

Licensed liquor bars, which reopened on September 1 after being closed for several months in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, are receiving good response from tipplers in the metropolis, an official said on Friday. "The bars are witnessing full capacity with the prescribed reduced seating," President of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) Sudesh Poddar said.

There are about 800 bars in West Bengal, including close to 350 in Kolkata, he said. Poddar said the reopening of bars inside restaurants came as a much-need relief as many such units were considering shutting shop due to high operational costs.

He, however, said, sales were down in the Salt Lake Sector-V area as most people having offices there were working from home at present. Around 60 per cent of revenue of a restaurant-cum-bar comes from liquor orders, industry sources said.

The state government had allowed standalone liquor shops to reopen from May, while bars got the green signal to resume business from September 1 in the Unlock 4 phase, maintaining social distancing, cutting down on the seating count and adhering to other health protocols..

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