Mumbai's 24 hours nightlife policy is expected to boost only the weekend business, according to Speciality Restaurant Ltd.'s Anjan Chatterjee.
“If it was given for tactical areas, for bars till say 3 a.m., not even the whole night, it would've been much, much more effective,” the chairman and managing director at the operator of outlets like Asia Kitchen, Mainland China, Oh! Calcutta and Sigree told BloombergQuint in an interview. “As you know binge eating and drinking happens over the weekend for youngsters and people who go out.”
Last week, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray had said shops, malls and eateries in the non-residential areas of Mumbai would have the option of remaining open 24/7 from Jan. 26, although it would not be made compulsory. The bars, permit rooms and pubs are currently excluded from the purview of the policy.
Though Thackeray had said that associating nightlife with alcohol consumption alone was wrong, Chatterjee pointed out that while it's a good start and would definitely increase business, nocturnal Mumbaikars who tend to go out later at night, usually go out to bars to drink and not to eat. That too, is mostly over the weekend.
“The kind of percentage and people that will come in to eat so late and continue eating all night is something we will have to watch,” Chatterjee said.
Also, the company will have to balance an increase in its fixed costs, as it prepares to stay open all night, with gains that are expected to be skewed towards weekends, he said. Mumbai, according to Chatterjee, doesn't have a tourist population as big as Singapore, or Dubai and natural footfall usually tapers off after 11:30 p.m. to midnight.
That comes as the much-touted nightlife experiment received a tepid response on the first night of its implementation. Thackeray, however, said he didn't expect a huge response immediately. It would gather pace in the coming weeks when people will start realising that it's safe for them to come out late night and enjoy, Thackeray said.
Watch | Speciality Restaurant's Anjan Chatterjee On Mumbai's 24/7 Nightlight Policy.
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