Hyderabad: The luxury of sitting on a chair or bench and ordering a cup of Irani chai will soon be a thing of the past. Considering the rising wages of the waiters, the Irani restaurant and cafe managements are implementing the ‘self-service’ formula in the hotels.
Already, several restaurants in the city have done away with the ‘waiter practice’ and many will soon follow suit. “The waiters are demanding Rs 1,000 to Rs 1500 for a day. The duty starts at 5 am and ends at midnight, previously they charged Rs 700 to Rs 800 a day,” said a hotelier at Aghapura in the city.
An Irani restaurant with 12 tables has four waiters, and if more tables, a couple more waiters. On average, the management until a year ago spent Rs 3200 to Rs 3400 for the wages of waiters on any day. If shift-wise, it worked out to be around 4000.
“Waiters are demanding food three times a day and between Rs 1000 and Rs 1500 a day in wages. If we pay such a huge amount, it incurs a loss to us. So the ‘self-service’ formula is being adapted,” Mujahid Khan, a restaurant owner, said.
On the other hand, the waiters have their own issues. A waiter said that due to the tough working conditions and long working hours, they are demanding increased wages. “The amount seems to be bigger for the restaurant owners. But if you calculate the hours, it is proportionate,” said Muzammil, a waiter.
“Again, if somebody runs away without paying the bill, the management asks us to pay. It often happens. So many people are not coming forward for the waiter job,” said Moize, a waiter at a restaurant in Kalapather.
Going by the state of affairs, it is evident that Irani restaurants are struggling for survival with the rise in the cost of tea powder, sugar, milk, salaries of managers, etc.
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