Kolkata: Bird flu plays party-pooper; City eateries slash chicken dish prices

With bird flu playing party-pooper this festive season, the city might have to be content with bland, chicken-less fare. Though the virus has struck in faraway Malda, poultry farms and restaurant-owners fear the virus might travel fast and reach the city outskirts by Christmas. While the former are preparing for a "tough time ahead", the latter have decided to lower the rates to raise footfall.

Leading restaurants like Amber, Trincas and Oasis are considering a price revision. They have received a timely incentive from wholesalers who have slashed prices of edible oil, commercial LPG cylinders as well as vegetables. "The flu is still far away from Kolkata but if it spreads, there will be panic. Last year, restaurants and hotels were forced to withdraw chicken but it was done a little late in the day. This time, we are going to do it earlier in case the virus starts travelling. Or else, we shall be left counting our losses as the footfall is going to be 70% less this time in any case," said S K Khullar, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Owners' Association of Eastern India (HROAEI).

Even though chicken items are still very much on the menu, they could be selling at lower rates from next week. At Oasis, for instance, the price of chilli chicken has dropped from Rs 160 a plate to Rs 150. Fish and vegetarian dishes have also been made cheaper. "We'd rather have more customers than try to hold on to margins that are going to drop in any case. Let's hope the flu is wiped out before Christmas," said Pratap Daryanani, owner of Oasis.

Others like Amber are contemplating a slash as well. "Since the footfall is expected to drop sharply, we must offer some incentives to customers. If the wholesalers offer discounts we will slash prices. But the flu could play spoilsport," said Khullar, who owns Amber.

Trincas has ruled out a price cut for the time being even as it braced for the "dullest Christmas" since its birth. "The tax on alcohol and the general inflation had set us back. Then came the meltdown and now the bird flu. Things couldn't have got worse," said owner Deepak Puri.