When lunch is the brand new dinner | Chennai Information

The festive season to meet and greet became a period of isolation for Roshni K Hemdev when she came down with Covid-19. So, when she finally recovered, she was eager to step out and spend time with friends in a safe environment. And what worked best, keeping the government restrictions and night curfew in mind, was a leisure lunch with the girls at a restobar in R A Puram.
“Since there is a night curfew, if we went for dinner, it would have to be hurried. So we opted for this place, which offers cocktails with food,” says Roshni, co-founder and director, CIRO Trade Pvt Ltd.

‘Noonlife’ has become the new nightlife, and Saturday the new Sunday after the government issued safety protocols following the Omicron surge. With the night curfew starting at 10pm, restaurants, hotels and pubs have to take last orders by 9pm, so that guests can make their way home on time. To cushion the hit the business has taken, the hospitality industry has come out with attractive lunch and brunch packages to woo customers, while ensuring safety protocols are adhered to. And Chennaiites are also cottoning on to the idea of relaxing and entertaining earlier in the day.

Sanjeev Varma, managing partner and owner of Black Orchid, a restobar in R A Puram, says they started their special lunch packages soon after the night curfew was announced. “We have launched curated lunches with cocktails from Monday to Friday, between 12. 30pm and 3. 30pm,” he says. “The lunch with cocktails, sushi and teppanyaki, is priced at Rs 699. As Sunday is a complete lockdown, we have also moved the Sunday brunches to Saturday. The Big Lunch Theory, available from 12. 30pm to 4pm, is priced at Rs 999 for a non-alcoholic lunch, the one with sushi and sparkling wine is priced at Rs 1,599 and the unlimited spread costs Rs 2,599. ”
And the response has been good. “We get a lot of women who want to try out the cocktails, and our Saturday brunches are popular,” he says.
The restaurants at Grand by GRT hotels and Radisson Resort Temple Bay Mamallapuram, are also seeing more occupancy during the lunch hour. “We see small groups of families and friends dropping in on weekday afternoons, especially at Temple Bay, where we have a day use or daycation package wherein guests can come and use the pool and have a buffet for ₹1,500. Earlier, this used to happen more on weekends and in the evenings,” says Vikram Cotah, CEO, GRT Hotels and Resorts. “We don’t encourage the use of the pool now, but people still drop in for lunch and drinks. ”
Homemaker Sathya Sanjeev says her family has begun taking long drives on ECR on Saturdays to destress. “Since there are many resorts on the way, we stop for lunch or brunch. And the kids get to run around outside after spending the whole week indoors glued to screens,” says the mother of two.
Peppy music to chase away the blues and a delicious menu is what’s on offer at Lord of The Drinks every Saturday from noon onwards. “We have DJs and commercial music used to be played in the evening. But, from January 22, we have moved it up to the lunch hour,” says Raj Thiru, partner, Lord of the Drinks. “Our business has been hit but people have begun dropping in earlier. We are also trying to attract clientele as people like to chill out on weekends. ” birthday parties are now also being hosted during the afternoons. “People want to spend some time together, and since we have a large, open space and a private dining area with a bar, safety concerns are also taken care of,” says Thiru.
As Roshni puts it, “We have to be open to change. And you can have the same good time, no matter what time of day. ”