Pleasant weather, extended New Year weekend give F&B sales a boost in city

Kolkata’s food and beverage sector rang in the New Year on a strong note, with the festive stretch delivering a clear spike in sales across restaurants and delivery kitchens. Demand peaked on December 24, 25 and 31, fuelled by house parties and visiting crowds, keeping both dine-in and online orders brisk.Outstation crowds drive December dining boomRestaurateurs point to a sharp rise in outstation visitors over the key festive dates, with travellers accounting for a significant share of December business. “Christmas and year-end celebrations now draw large crowds from neighbouring districts and other cities,” says Sudesh Poddar, president, Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India. “Demand has spread well beyond Park Street into multiple neighbourhoods, leading to packed restaurants and strong online orders across the city.

”Lunch crowds swell due to the winter chillAn unexpected dip in temperatures also boosted footfall. “The cooler weather made it easier for people to step out,” says Chef Ranjan Biswas of Saptapadi Restaurant. “Lunch hours, in particular, saw a surge, with guests opting for longer daytime outings. Starters performed especially well.”“We are happy with the business which our outlets did from Christmas. We saw a 25-27% increase in sales. The most ordered food was biryani and kebab on New Year’s eve. But on New Year our customers preferred to last the year having a lavish spread of Bengali buffet,”said Rajiv Paul from Bawarchi, Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor and Posto Raj Bari.

High sales across F&B segments

Almost all segments of the F&B sector witnessed a spike in sales, boosted by the extended New Year weekend. “Kolkata’s appetite for celebration remains strong,” said Nitin Kothari of Mocambo, Peter Cat and Peter Hu. “From noon to late night, our restaurants stayed busy through the long weekend. Peter Cat led the growth, clocking over 60% higher sales year-on-year, while Mocambo and Peter Hu grew by about 25%.”The festive best-sellers

Our three outlets witnessed a 15% increase in sales. While the most preferred dish remained biryani and galouti kabab-paratha, steakand turkey dishes were hits too – Shiladitya Chaudhury from Oudh, Chapter 2 and Chaudhury & CompanyThe scale of Xmas celebrations has spilled out of Park Street, leading to packed restaurants across the city– Sudesh Poddar, owner, Manthan, Songhai & MS Bar & LoungeThere was a rise in demand for biryani & rolls. All our outlets showed a jump in sales– Azra Asher Athar, Aminia Restaurant