Bengaluru, Jul 24 (IANS): The surging coronavirus spread has forced one more iconic restaurant -- Koshy's -- in this tech city to shut its dine-in service temporarily or till new normalcy returns, an official said on Friday.
"Though the lockdown was lifted in the city on Wednesday, we decided to keep the restaurant closed for the time being or till the new normal, as we don't want to expose our guests or staff to the virus or risk them being infected," a Koshy's official told IANS here.
Located in downtown near the famous Cubbon Park, the 68-year-old bar and restaurant is popular with the connoisseurs of continental food and drinks for its old-world charm, decor, prompt service and a variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"As we re-opened the restaurant on June 8 after the extended lockdown ended, the response was good and steady. Many guests had to wait for their turn due to restrictions on serving all at a time to maintain social distancing and to comply with other guidelines," the official said.
With the pandemic surging by the day, especially in the city's central business district for various reasons, the restaurant had shut again on July 15 for the nine-day lockdown re-imposed to contain the virus spread.
"We are, however, keeping our bakery store open for buying and takeaways of bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries and assorted foods. Customers can also order for home delivery through the Dunzo service provider," the official said.
Like other iconic restaurants such as MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Rooms), Woodlands, Nandini and Vidhyarthi, which have shut service, Koshy's has also been facing staff issues, as they have to commute from long distances amid the night curfew which is in place from 9 p.m. onwards.
"This is the first time that we are forced to keep our restaurant shut for so many days, as the situation is not conducive to serve even limited number of guests, split the tables with a protective fibre glass, maintain physical distance and sanitise the place through the day," the official said.
Since the lockdown was enforced on March 25 and extended till May 31, many eateries like Forage, Ebony, Veena Stores, Phobidden Fruit, Asean and Anna Kuteera decided to remain shut till normalcy returns.