As the LPG crisis deepens across Delhi and supply disruptions intensify, restaurants and households are rapidly adapting their cooking practices – cutting gas usage, altering menus, and turning to electric alternatives such as induction cooktops, which themselves are quickly going out of stock in shops and on online platforms.
Restaurant associations said that the shortage has begun to significantly impact commercial kitchens, forcing eateries to rethink operations and remove deep-fried items to in an attempt to conserve fuel.
Sandeep Goyale, president of the Delhi chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said restaurants are facing a shortfall of around 50% in LPG supply. “The situation is critical. However, most restaurants have managed supply for two days. Till then, we will be monitoring the situation,” Goyale said.
Small restaurants, operating with limited stock and tighter margins, appeared to be the worst affected.
Mehar Tandon, owner of Kashmir Chur Chur Naan by Ram Poori Wale in Paharganj, said the restaurant has stopped serving several popular dishes such as bhatures. “We are open for now but have gas cylinders only for a couple of days. We have switched to induction but are operating with a limited menu. We have stopped offering puri and bhature,” Tandon said.
At Boheme Cafe Bar in Karol Bagh, management said deep-fried dishes have been temporarily taken off the menu. “We are using electric options now but the situation is critical. We have stopped offering some deep-fried Indian items that require longer cooking,” the restaurant’s manager said.
At Amaltas in Greater Kailash-2, an official said the establishment is transitioning to electric cooking while trying to secure fresh cylinders.
“We are not shutting down, but we are facing a heavy shortage of LPG supply. We are transitioning to electric mode. When the full transition happens, we may have to cut down on certain dishes. For now, we have been contacting different suppliers and shops but nobody has cylinders available. Within two days, our existing supply may run out,” the official said.
Varun Khera, owner of The Imperial Spice in Connaught Place, said his restaurant has bought multiple induction cooktops.
“Now our LPG usage has reduced to around 35%, which means the gas stock that would have lasted two days will now last five to seven days,” Khera said, adding that the upcoming Navratra festival beginning March 19 could temporarily ease pressure as demand for non-vegetarian food typically drops.
As households seek alternatives, induction cooktops are vanishing from quick commerce platforms. At least three platforms had cooktops out of stock by Wednesday evening, with electric cookers and rice cookers also unavailable.
“After reports of LPG shortage, we bought an induction stove online. A friend couldn’t get it on Blinkit and had to order from Amazon for three-day delivery,” said Shubhra Rai, a Munirka resident.
Rohit Bhasin, owner of Bhasin Appliances, said “We have a good stock of induction cooktop as since two days, many people have been coming in to buy them. Earlier, only 1-2 would get sold in a week. Now, 15-17 are sold today. We don’t know till how long it will last.”
Beyond commercial kitchens, the shortage has hit low-income families hardest.
Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation, said daily-wage workers and domestic helpers are most vulnerable. “Since this morning around 50 people have complained about the shortage. For domestic helps earning ₹5,000-6,000 a month, even ₹500 extra is a massive burden,” Bhasin said.
Community institutions are also stepping in to help those struggling to arrange cooking gas.
MPS Bindra of Gurudwara Pahariwala in Greater Kailash-1 said the gurudwara provided a cylinder to an elderly woman who couldn’t arrange one for days. “Inside the gurudwara we have a pipeline connection and also keep a spare stock of around 10 cylinders. Luckily, we had ordered four more last week. We gave one to an elderly woman who lives nearby and could not arrange a cylinder for several days,” Bindra said.
“At Croma, we have observed a sharp and immediate uptick in demand for induction cooktops over the past few days. Our average daily run rate has surged significantly,” Infiniti Retail Ltd (Croma) CEO & MD Shibashish Roy said.
An Amazon India spokesperson said on Wednesday, “Over the last two days, sales of induction cooktops have increased 30X, while rice cookers and electric pressure cookers are seeing a 4X increase. Air fryers and multi-use kettles are also seeing a 2X increase in sales over a regular day.”
With inputs from PTI