Vapour Bar Exchange, along Sohna Road in Gurugram, did business worth Rs 15,000 on April 1, the first Saturday after the Supreme Court banned the sale of alcohol within 500 metres of any national or state highway. On an average Saturday, before the apex court's curbs, the micro-brewery clocked Rs 5 lakh in sales, said one of its senior employees.
Nearly half of the 40 such bars and pubs located in Sector 29 of Gurugram tell a similar tale. Most stand in close proximity to each other but the ones less than 500 metres away from the highway are now bearing the brunt. All such establishments have seen at least a 50 percent drop in sales over the last weekend.
Bercelos, a bar in Sector 29, is considering relocating from the highway to save its business, said its manager Abhimanyu. There is no point in keeping a ‘microbrewery' at a place where they wouldn't be able to serve the brew. Customers walked in, inquired if alcohol was being served, and walked out, he said. A final decision on moving to a new location hadn't been taken yet, he said.
‘Adda by Striker', another establishment in the area, decided against running the restaurant, keeping its shutters down.
The ones beyond the 500-metre radius, some by as little as 15 metres, said they saw a rise in footfall and revenue as several competitors couldn't serve alcohol.
“If the intention is to stop drunken driving, there should be stricter enforcement of traffic rules; banning alcohol at one restaurant, and allowing at the one right next to it is entirely unfair,” said one of the managers at a microbrewery in Sector 29, specially since all bars and restaurants in the area share a parking spot.
A majority of pubs and bars in Gurugram are along National Highway 48 in an area known as the Cyber Hub. Each one of them, including popular names such as Hard Rock Cafe, Soi 7 Pub and Brewery, among others, had to stop serving alcohol.
The apex court's ruling also impacted hotels. Guests cancelled bookings after learning that alcohol wasn't being served in the mini-bar or in the restaurant, said an employee at Fortune Select Excalibur, a luxury hotel along Sohna Road.
Also Read: ‘Hotel Industry Will Lose Around $30 Billion A Year On Highway Liquor Ban'
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