Bengaluru hotels may hike coffee, tiffin prices by 10%

Bengaluru: Hotel owners have decided to increase the prices of food across the state due to the increase in the prices of cooking gas and other essential items. The price of breakfast, tea and coffee will increase by at least five rupees.

Hotel owners have come to the conclusion that the increase in the price of snacks is inevitable due to the increase in the price of commercial cooking gas, milk, ghee, butter and other food items. Some hotels have already hiked rates. Some other hotel owners have found an alternative way instead of increasing the rates.

The central government has reduced the price of cooking gas for commercial use by Rs 91.50. However, last month there was an increase of Rs 350. In this background, the hotel owners have decided to increase the rates. Idli-vade, dosa, rice bath, chow chow bath will be increased by Rs 5, while coffee and tea rates will be increased by Rs 1 to Rs 2.

Some hotels have reduced the amount of meals and snacks due to the concern that the number of customers will decrease if the rates are increased. That means the size of dosa, idli, vade has been reduced. Also, hotels have changed the bowl offered for Rice bath and Chow chow bath to a smaller size.

Due to the increase in the price of edible oil used for cooking and gas cylinders for commercial use due to the Ukraine-Russia war, the price of meals and snacks in hotels was increased by 10 percent in the month of April last year. Then the price was increased again in November-December on the pretext of increase in the price of milk and other daily consumption items. Now it is intended to increase the price again by 10%.

The hotel industry has been hit hard by increasing cooking gas rates for commercial use. Commercial use cylinders were exempted from a minimum of Rs 150 to a maximum of Rs 250 per cylinder depending on usage. Exemption is not being given for the last 6-7 months. After putting pressure on the central government, the price of a cooking gas cylinder has been reduced to Rs 91.50. Building rent, wage of laborers, electricity, water, food packing and cleaning rates have increased, said PC Rao, president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotel Owners Association.