How the LPG shortage is kicking dosa and uthappam off hotel menus

On Wednesday morning in Chennai’s T Nagar, regulars who walked into their neighbourhood hotels for a quick cup of coffee were greeted by an unexpected notice.

“Due to lack of LPG supply, March 11, 2026 has been declared a holiday.”

For many diners, it was their first real sign that the global crisis unfolding thousands of kilometres away in West Asia had reached India’s kitchens.

Across the country, restaurants, cafés and dhabas are grappling with a sudden shortage of commercial LPG cylinders — the fuel that powers most professional kitchens. As the conflict in West Asia disrupts global energy supply chains and shipping routes, India has prioritised LPG supply for household consumers. The result: restaurants are running dangerously low on cooking fuel.

The impact is already visible. Menus are shrinking, some kitchens are going cold, and the simple act of eating out may soon look very different.

From Chennai to Pune, kitchens are cutting back
In parts of Tamil Nadu, some hotels have already shut their doors temporarily.

Employees at several eateries in Chennai confirmed that establishments declared a holiday after running out of LPG cylinders. The Tamilnadu Hotels Association had earlier warned that existing stocks in many kitchens would last just one or two days.

Many restaurants are now serving only dishes that require minimal gas.

“We have prepared idli, sambar and vada. We have removed dosa varieties,” said a hotel owner on the East Coast Road in Chennai. “In the afternoon and dinner, the menu will be variety rice only, since dosa and fried rice items require a continuous supply of LPG.”

Similar stories are emerging across India.

In Pune, restaurateurs say breakfast favourites could disappear from menus if supplies are not restored soon. “Dosa and uttapam require more gas than most other dishes,” said Ganesh Shetty, president of the Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association.

“If the supply of commercial LPG cylinders is not restored immediately, these items will simply go off the menu.”

For many eateries, especially smaller establishments, closure may not be far away. Restaurants typically keep just a few cylinders in reserve, enough for a couple of days of operations.

Why are restaurants running out of gas?
India consumes about 31.3 million tonnes of LPG annually, and roughly 62 per cent of this is imported.

A large share of those imports travel through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route in West Asia. The ongoing conflict in the region has sharply reduced shipping traffic through the corridor.

With supplies tightening, the government has prioritised LPG for domestic households. Commercial users, including hotels and restaurants, are now facing a supply crunch.

Industry bodies say the shortage escalated dramatically in the past week.

“The shortage of commercial LPG has become extremely serious,” said Pradeep Shetty of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI). “We are receiving reports of severe shortages from cities including Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur.”

A crisis for small restaurants
For the neighbourhood eateries and street-side food stalls, the shortage is particularly worrying.

Large hotels may keep dozens of cylinders in reserve, allowing them to operate a little longer. Smaller establishments often depend on just a few.

In Vijayawada, hotelier Kumar Agarwal said the market already has far fewer cylinders available.

“Only one-third of the stock is available, which may last until Saturday. If new cylinders are not supplied after Sunday, many hotels may be forced to shut down operations.”

Distributors say the problem is not demand, it is supply
One distributor in Andhra Pradesh said commercial cylinders were no longer arriving from bottling plants.

“Until today we supplied commercial cylinders. But from tomorrow there is no supply,” he said.

Menus are being redesigned overnight
Across India, restaurant kitchens are quickly improvising to stretch the little gas they have left.

Some common changes already visible:

• Dishes that require continuous flame such as dosa, uttapam and fried rice are being removed
• Deep-fried foods like pooris are being limited
• Restaurants are serving simpler tiffin items or one-pot dishes
• Some kitchens are experimenting with electric or induction cooking

“We will curtail our menus, we will manage. But give us some supply,” said a restaurant association representative in Pune.

Switching fully to electric cooking, however, is not easy.

Many Indian dishes — from dal makhni to biryani — rely on long, slow cooking on gas flames to develop flavour.

“Some cooking techniques and menu items are specifically designed for gas-based cooking,” said Arjun Sagar Gupta of The Piano Man restaurant group.

The ripple effect on diners
If the shortage continues, diners across India could soon notice several changes:

• Shorter restaurant menus
• Longer waiting times for food delivery
• Higher food prices
• Temporary closure of smaller eateries

Industry insiders warn that prices could rise by as much as 20% if fuel shortages continue.

There are also broader concerns. The restaurant industry employs millions of workers across India, from chefs and waiters to delivery staff and suppliers.

“If supplies are not restored, restaurants will have to shut down and there will be job losses,” warned National Restaurant Association of India president Sagar Daryani.

For now, the industry waits
The government has set up a committee to examine the supply disruption and restaurant associations are seeking urgent intervention.

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin has already urged the Union government to ensure that the shortage does not affect businesses or the public.

Until supply chains stabilise, restaurant kitchens across the country are doing what they do best: adapting quickly.

But if the crisis continues, the biggest change may be visible not in global markets — but on the humble breakfast plate.

Because the next time you walk into a favourite eatery, the menu might be missing something very familiar.