Bengaluru: Closing bell' hits pubs, bars in CBD hard

Bengaluru: Gone are the days when partygoers would quaff mugs of beer and glasses of liquor in their favourite watering holes. Monday, the first working day since the Supreme Court ban on liquor vends near highways came into effect on July 1, saw pubs and bars at Koramangala 5 Block and Central Business District (CBD) wearing a deserted look. 

Mr Pradeep, the floor manager at Liquid Street Pub on Jyoti Nivas College Road, said, “Our pub used to attract a lot of customers during weekends, now we have none. We are losing nearly Rs 70,000-Rs 80,000 every day and over Rs 4 lakh on weekends.”

In the same area, Black Pearl, Purple Haze, which is over two decades old, Gilly Restobar, The Boozy Griffin and Sherlock’s Pub have also stopped serving alcohol and have increased the number of mocktails on their menus. 

A staffer at a bar in Forum Mall said, “Many still don’t know about the ban. They walk into their favourite hangouts, see that they are not serving beer or liquor, and go back with sullen faces.”

Customers, who thronged pubs at CBD even on weekdays, have refused to go in even for a cup of coffee. Pecos which till a week ago, made good business, is now struggling to earn Rs 10,000 per day. 

“Against the normal business of over Rs 1 lakh on weekends, we earned only Rs 7,000. On Monday, we may manage to earn just about Rs 2,000,” said Mr Srinivas, manager at Pecos Pub.  

On reports that some bars and pubs are selling alcohol higher than the MRP, Joint Excise Commissioner Rajendra Prasad said, “The MRP is subject to excise rules and selling it at a price higher than the MRP will attract action under Section 36 of the Karnataka Excise Act.”