As music dies, Kolkata’s singing bars cook to survive the Covid storm

KOLKATA: The famous (or infamous) singing bars of central Kolkata have done the pandemic pivot — some in unexpected ways — to stay afloat after the music fell silent in March, when total lockdown was imposed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
With no clear indication from the government as to when the psychedelic lights will start throbbing again and the flurry of guests return, the owners have tweaked their business models to survive during the pandemic, albeit with limited success.
One of the most-sought-after outlets on Waterloo Street is now selling Rajasthani thalis, while another one on CR Avenue, whose sides like mourola machh bhaja and mutton liver were an instant hit with drinks, is rustling up quick bites like dosa and rolls.
Sanjib Mondal, the manager of Rock’s on Waterloo Street — a very popular singing bar — said the decision to pivot within the existing business was taken soon after Unlock 1 in June. “There was no clear indication from the government to reopen the bars, so we decided to sell thalis for the office-going crowd. Our vegetarian fare is already famous with our guests, so we decided to shift to selling Rajasthani and Indian thalis. Most of our guests now are office-goers in the vicinity,” said Mondal.
Several businesses have either shut down or registered a dip in revenue in the wake of the pandemic, which has shrunk demand and leisure spend. The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit by lockdown measures, as people are staying away from restaurants, cafes and food courts. The government has not allowed the reopening of bars and pubs yet.
But there are some who have been quick to adapt and change their business strategy to stay afloat.
The bar at Broadway on Ganesh Chandra Avenue has never been shut for so long since the hotel opened in 1937. “Almost 80% of the business is gone as the bar is our mainstay. But we need to pay the staff and spend on maintenance, for which we started selling Indian and Chinese combos for Rs 99 each,” said Vivian Saldanha, bar manager.
The food business at most of these eateries picked up in June, when offices started reopening and people ventured out of their homes after almost a 10-week lockdown. But as cases spiked, by the first week of July, the orders started drying up.
The way these traditional central Kolkata watering holes, many of which metamorphosed to singing bars two decades ago, are dealing with the crisis is the story of staying nimble for short-term survival.
“We either had to adapt or shut down and wait for the government’s orders to reopen. Currently it is not about making money but to make ends meet and stay in business,” said the manager of Duke Bar and Restaurant on CR Avenue, diagonally opposite E-Mall.