New Delhi: Orders from restaurants impacted by the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders due to the ongoing West Asia conflict are starting to recover as eateries adjust their menus and adopt alternative
cooking methods, according to the food delivery platform magicpin. Anshoo Sharma, CEO and founder of magicpin, told PTI the disruption has largely affected smaller restaurants that rely heavily on LPG cylinders for cooking and have limited financial resources.
Orders in cuisines that rely significantly on LPG-based cooking initially saw a dip of about 5-10 per cent, but demand has started to recover as restaurants adjust their operations, Sharma said. He observed that restaurants have responded to the supply constraints by temporarily restricting certain menu items and adopting alternatives such as induction cooking, wood-fired stoves and electric ovens.
"Many of them are adapting by restricting certain menu items or shifting to alternatives like induction cooking, wood-fired stoves and electric ovens," the magicpin CEO said. The company said it is providing AI-enabled real-time insights on order volumes to help restaurant partners plan preparation and manage operations more efficiently during the disruption. magicpin plans to distribute induction cooking stoves to around 10,000 of the most affected restaurant partners within the next couple of days to help them continue their business operations, Sharma said.
He emphasised that the restaurant sector has demonstrated resilience during previous disruptions, and the current supply issue is expected to remain short-term without a long-term impact on the industry. Meanwhile, restaurant owners explained how they are coping with the LPG cylinder shortage by switching to alternatives like electric ovens and induction cookers while prioritising dishes that require less cooking time.
"The LPG shortage has made kitchen operations difficult. Some dishes that require longer cooking have been reduced, and we are relying more on electric ovens and induction wherever possible. No restaurant wants to cut its menu, but we have to adapt to keep the kitchen running," Pizza-A-Goodness owner Narender Yadav said. Another restaurant owner, Swapna of Hyderabad Biryaani House, Bangalore, said, "The situation is becoming very stressful for stand-alone restaurants like us. We are already seeing many neighbourhood outlets shut their kitchens temporarily because LPG supply is uncertain and cylinders are reportedly being sold at much higher prices in the black market".
"To manage, we have reduced some gas-intensive dishes, operate on limited menus and reduced our restaurant timings." India has temporarily reintroduced kerosene for household use and permitted the use of coal and other alternate fuels for hotels and restaurants as the escalating West Asia crisis disrupts the country's energy supply chains. The move comes after the conflict effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of India's crude oil, LPG and LNG imports normally pass.
Environmental regulators have been asked to permit biomass, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pellets and coal as alternate fuels for hotels and restaurants for one month. Oil marketing companies will allocate 20 per cent of the average monthly commercial LPG demand to ensure essential businesses continue to receive supplies.
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