Eating out to pinch pockets with price rise

Hyderabad: City hoteliers have raised the prices of all food items by at least 15 per cent price

Members of the Andhra Pradesh Hotels Association say that almost all hotels have already started implementing the increased prices, while some are planning to bring it to effect soon. According to hoteliers, prices of commodities, especially pulses, milk and dairy products and vegetables, has spiked in the last two months. Even electricity charges and labour cost have resulted in increased production cost of food items.

B. Jagdish Rao, honorary president and MD of Belson Taj Mahal Hotel, said “The rise is negligible and does not meet our  losses. Milk prices go up almost every month, even  oil and vegetable prices increase continuously and there is no system to control it. The trade license, that used to cost  a maximum of Rs 48,000 would shoot to lakhs if the GHMC starts implementing it on square feet basis of the hotel premises.”