As pandemic-fuelled social distancing took off, city saw nearly 6-fold rise in al fresco dining
Times of India | 1 January 2024
KOLKATA: Outdoor dining - or al fresco - restaurants have seen a more-than-fivefold jump in numbers since 2020, with restaurant owners saying the pandemic was instrumental in ushering in a dining revolution.
The pandemic, or, more correctly, public behaviour necessitated by it, was directly responsible for bringing in these changes, feel F&B insiders.Most people, spooked by fears of contracting the virus, began avoiding confined spaces. Even when the worst of the pandemic seemed to be over and diners started to trickle in, restaurant owners noticed a change in pattern, with a clear preference for outdoor seating.
In 2020, there were around 20-odd restaurants in the city that offered patrons the al fresco option; by the end of 2023, the figure is now around 110.
"Most indoor spaces have limitations in terms of seating capacity and proper ventilation," said Sudesh Poddar, president, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI). "Outdoor spaces allow restaurateurs to add more seating areas while also offering guests, who seek non-airconditioned and open spaces, the psychological comfort of social distancing. The idea of al fresco dining is not new, but there has been a huge surge in this kind of dining in Kolkata, post-pandemic."
Kolkata's al fresco scene is happening on rooftops, distinguished from garden, patio or sidewalk dining prevalent in other parts of the world. This is mostly because of a lack of horizontal space, said F&B insiders.
Among the most recent is Social on Park Street, which opened in October, on the third - and topmost - floor.
A number of Kolkata's rooftop hubs directly face a water body or an iconic Kolkata monument, making it almost a day trip, apart from an eating-out experience, said restaurant patrons and owners.
The Steak Factory on Sarat Bose Road, which opened in 2018, was one of the first restaurants in the city to include a rooftop dining space in 2020.
"In Kolkata, the shift towards al fresco came about organically, compared to cities like New York, where laws were enforcing restaurants to operate outdoors as much as possible," said restaurant owner Mainak Chakraverty. "The outdoor restaurants are particularly popular around winter," he added.
Raj Sarkar, a private sector employee who visited an al fresco restaurant (Romaania on Elgin Road) for the first time during the monsoon - in between spells of rain - said that while this December was noticeably warmer than previous years, even a hint of chill in the air made it perfect for al fresco dining.
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