Catering industry takes a hit amid LPG cylinder shortage

Raji Gopalakrishnan has a wedding to cater for on Sunday. What next, however, is a question mark since the LPG shortage has hit the catering business hard, says Ms. Gopalakrishnan who runs the half-a-century-old Anandam Home Caterers in Thiruvananthapuram.

“I can manage on Sunday with the current LPG stock, but once it runs out, there is no option but to stop taking orders. Thankfully, the next wedding is a while away.”

Firewood is an option if one is cooking biryani or neychoru, but making a full sadya using firewood is tough since people are not used to it anymore, she points out.

Ms. Gopalakrishnan has also stopped taking orders for smaller events, though she does not refuse kanji for bereaved families.

Her takeaway at Nanthancode is serving tea and snacks, but not for long, she says.

K.G. Sudhakaran of Ammu Catering Service near the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, says he is not entertaining fresh orders since he has run out of LPG cylinders. He is using firewood for now. The shortage of LPG cylinders was so unexpected that he had no time to stock up at all, says Mr. Sudhakaran.

“I have a wedding on March 20, but since I do not have space or the facility to cook with firewood here, I will need to inquire if the venue allows firewood. Else, I will have to find a place that allows firewood and then transport the cooked food to the venue,” he says.

Without work, paying salary to the staff is also going to be difficult for these caterers. Migrant workers who work with them may leave or go home for an extended period. “They will still find work when they return, but we do not have many options,” says Mr. Sudhakaran.

Mr. Sudhakaran says that he has a couple of weddings to cater for next month, but is not taking any orders for the month after since he does not know when the current situation will resolve.

Shanudeen of Saj Events says they are taking minimum orders, and giving small events a miss. Thankfully, he says, he has no marriage to cater for this month.

Menu cuts

Menus are also being trimmed, with Chinese dishes and breads such as parotta, appam, and pathiri given a miss. “We have managed to make our customers understand the situation.”

Earlier, they used firewood only to cook rice, but now all dishes are being prepared that way, says Mr. Shanudeen. The transition has hardly been smooth, with staff falling ill owing to the heat from the fire, something they are not used to.

With everyone shifting to firewood, its availability has gone down, and price up, he points out.

Catering units are hoping that the LPG cylinder shortage will not drag on long, and their business can resume in full swing sooner rather than later.