Hyderabad: The tightening supply of commercial LPG in Hyderabad has forced many restaurants to hike food prices and tweak portion sizes to stay afloat. With black market traders quoting a staggering Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,000 per cylinder — two to three times the standard prices — restaurant owners admit they have made dishes 15% to 30% costlier.High on this revised rate card are dishes such as biryanis, pulaos, curries, dosas, and fried food items, they say. Instead of implementing a blanket hike, many add that they are selectively revising prices only for items that require long hours of cooking on a high flame.“We cannot increase prices across the board because customers are already sensitive to costs,” said a restaurant operator from Jubilee Hills. “So we are adjusting prices only for dishes that consume more gas. Even then, margins are tight,” he added.Alongside price revisions, several eateries admit to slightly reducing serving quantities to balance rising input costs without increasing menu prices. “We have reduced portions marginally. It’s not very noticeable, but it helps us manage the cost burden,” said a street vendor in Madhapur. He also shared that some businesses around him have been temporarily shut down. “Our fate is not going to be any different. I have only enough gas left for the next two days. I don’t know what will happen after that,” he added.Street vendors, who operate on significantly thinner margins, say the situation is even more challenging. Many have increased the prices of everyday items such as tea, coffee, snacks, and fried foods by a few rupees. “For us, even a small increase in gas price makes a big difference,” said a vendor. “We can’t absorb it, so we either raise prices slightly or reduce the quantity. There is no other option,” said the owner of a tiffin centre in Masab Tank. He added that inconsistent LPG supply is adding to their uncertainty, making it difficult to plan daily operations.Meanwhile, the civil supplies department is conducting regular raids on eateries using domestic LPGs for commercial purposes. “Until Tuesday, we have booked 188 cases and seized 391 cylinders. We will continue these raids in the coming days,” said Raji Reddy, chief ration officer from the department.
