Kerala's resorts, hospitality players adopt ways to function without closing kitchens

War has walked into our kitchens as well, forcing the temporary closure of many hotels and restaurants. On March 8, the Central government announced it would prioritise homes over commercial establishments for LPG supply. According to the latest reports, more than 50% of Kerala restaurants are likely to shut down by the weekend if the LPG supply doesn't resume. Meanwhile, a few resorts and hospitality properties are figuring out ways to keep functioning without completely closing down their kitchens. Here's how they are working around the LPG crunch to find solutions. 

Turning off pilot burners, ovens
Dinesh Rai, GM of Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kochi, says that while they have a piped natural gas (PNG) connection and induction cookers as interim relief, they have also decided to save fuel in a few other ways. "We have stopped our pilot (a commercial kitchen burner that generally stays lit around the clock) and pizza ovens. We use a salamander (another cooking equipment that can run on electricity) to bake the pizza," Dinesh says. Ala carte menus are given more importance than buffets now, he adds. "The buffet is also modified in a way that items that consume more energy are reduced. For instance, there are more tandoor options rather than tawa rotis and dosas," explains Dinesh, who adds that going forward, hotels might also have to look for suppliers who have access to different sources of energy rather than just LPG.

Vinod Vaattekatt, GM of Cloud Valley Leisure Hotel in Munnar, says a 'balanced menu' is what many hoteliers, including them, are aiming for. "A normal menu can be from six pages to 12-15 pages. We are offering shrunken, 2-page menus now, avoiding items like fried foods that consume too much fuel, as a precaution," he says.  Makesh Raj, GM of Gokulam Grand Kozhikode, says that along with limiting menus, live preparations have also been stopped as a precaution. 

Traditional methods 
Samridhi@Kochi, a women-run hotel in Ernakulam that's renowned for its Rs 20 meals, have decided to try firewood cooking from today. Speaking to Manorama News, the hotel's employees said that while offering the general traditional Kerala options might not be possible, they are figuring out ways to give their customers at least a few dishes. A railway official in Thiruvananthapuram also told TOI that they have started using firewood to ensure that food supply isn't disrupted, as passengers of trains like Vande Bharat can't order food from station vendors due to automatic doors.