Dining out gets costlier amid LPG supply disruptions in Amritsar

Eating out at eateries such as restaurants and rehris has become more expensive in the city following a hike in commercial LPG refill prices and supply disruptions triggered by the West Asia conflict.

The shortage of commercial LPG and new restrictions are forcing dhaba owners, rehriwalas, restaurants, confectioners, sweet shops and other food outlets to raise prices and trim their menus.

People engaged in the business of serving freshly prepared food are struggling to keep operations running. While menus are decided individually by each outlet, the city-based association of confectioners serving traditional sweets (mithais) and puris cooked in desi ghee (clarified butter) has unanimously decided to increase the price of puri from Rs 60 to Rs 70 per piece.

Sanket Kamboj, proprietor of a well-known puri and mithai outlet run by his family for generations, said they have so far passed on the price hike only to puris. However, many other shopkeepers have implemented a marginal increase across various sweet items to cope with rising costs.

A popular rehri selling tawa paranthas has raised the price from Rs 25 to Rs 30 per piece. Similarly, several outlets — offering breakfast items such as kulcha and bhatura as well as evening snacks like samosa, kachori and satpura — have increased prices by Rs 5 to Rs 10 per item.

According to those in the food business, a 19-kg commercial LPG refill now costs around Rs 2,200 through official booking channels, while it is reportedly available at nearly double the price in the open market.

A vendor running a non-vegetarian food outlet on GT Road said he requires at least three refills daily to meet customer demand. This has significantly increased his preparation costs, forcing him to raise food prices accordingly.

As a result, fine dining has also become more expensive, with several restaurants and dhaba owners increasing their rates to offset rising costs.

Industry experts say the supply disruption and tighter regulations are reshaping the food service sector. Staying in hotels and dining out is expected to become costlier. Amarjit Singh, a senior hospitality entrepreneur, said the industry has no choice but to pass on the burden to customers in order to cope with inflation in essential inputs following the LPG price hike and supply disruptions.

He added that the price of pet coke, commonly used as fuel in tandoors, has also risen from Rs 16 to Rs 25 per kg. The overall cost escalation is a direct result of the recent increase in cooking fuel prices. He cautioned that inflation remains relatively controlled for now, as fossil fuel prices have not yet seen a further hike.