NYE celebrations see high footfall in pubs, restaurants

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Once popular for its pub hopping culture on regular days, the wholesome vibe of Bangalore city's rich street life and pubs remained stagnant throughout the year, due to the infamous pandemic.

The city which successfully battled the pandemic saw active participation in the New Year’s Eve celebration While many preferred to go out and experience a perfect wine and dine with friends or family, others choose to do the same at home keeping safety in mind. The city is all geared up for New Year celebrations; many liquor stores across the Sillion city have stocked 60 units extra.

“Many people prefer to do house parties as they work out cheaper, the sales of beer during New Year’s was the highest, popular brands being Kingfisher premium, Bira Blonde, Heineken, and Hoe Garden,” Sumanth Gowda, an MRP shop owner in Jayanagar said.

Many city liquor shops generated revenue of 36 lakhs and some even more this festive season with the highest sales found to be on Christmas day and the New Year weekend.

“Hard and assorted liquor sales are usually down, very few people buy whiskeys, rum, and vodka. Due to covid-19 we did not stock much and are putting out our previous stock with an additional required beer to keep the city’s beer flow intact,” the manager of a liquor store said. Many pubs in the city offered their customers special discounts for the New Year and wines are closely competing with beer, say pub owners generating revenue between 2-3 lakhs.