25-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Excise licence fee hike, liquor prices, rentals take the fizz out of Pub City
BENGALURU: There is a gradual decline in the number of watering holes in Pub City, especially in the past six months. Sources in the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry told TNIE that a 50 per cent hike in Excise licence fee, cut in corporate spending and insecurity regarding jobs have left telltale signs in falling footfalls and winding up of some liquor outlets.
'In the last six months, around 50-60 pubs and bars in the city have either shut shop or exchanged hands,' said Chethan Hegde, National Restaurants' Association of India (NRAI), Bengaluru chapter head, and owner of '1522', a prominent chain of pubs in the city, 'Hike in licence fee, manpower and rentals, along with escalation in liquor prices in the last couple of years has adversely impacted F&B business in the city,' he added.
'Bengalureans are grounded and smart spenders. An increase in liquor prices is impacting people, who love to dine out. They have cut down on the number of occasions they would go out to dine. It is liquor that spirals up the restaurant bill and people are being careful. Many have home bars. Instead of drilling a hole in their wallet to dine out, they would rather call in food from outside and relax with friends at home, at a much lesser cost and for a longer time, with no added headache of navigating through traffic and parking woes,' said another pub owner.
