Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Working class hit by increase in hotel food prices

SALEM: The favourite South Indian breakfast package of idly, vada and sambar, has now become dearer. Lunch already costs 30 per cent more and is going up in the price charter.

The prices of almost all food items that are being sold in the hotels in Salem city, is behaving bullish. Taking a refuge behind the price hike of essential commodities such as dal and oil, the hoteliers, particularly those running a chain of restaurants, have increased the prices sharply. Many have even removed the price list.

The vegetarian restaurants in the city now charge Rs. 23 for two idlies and a vada, a 30 per cent increase when compared to the price last year. A steaming cup of coffee, now offered as ‘mini-coffee’, costs Rs. 9. An ordinary dosa is Rs. 16, while an onion dosa is Rs. 28. A full meal costs between Rs. 38 to Rs. 40. To off-set the price hike, many of the hoteliers also cut down the quantity and quality as well.

Low-end vegetables available in the market such as cluster beans, banana plantains and cabbage have become the mainstay in the daily menu. A few have stopped using toor dal in sambar. The working class people who stay away from their homes and depend on hotels for their survival feel the strain on their purses. “We are helpless. Even after paying so much for a food item, we are not given quality food,” they say.

In contrast, a few home-based food joints called ‘mess’ are offering quality food at nominal price. They charge Rs. 30 for unlimited meals. Single idly is priced at Rs. 3.50 and a dosa is priced at Rs. 7, while a plate of Pongal costs Rs. 10. “We have started avoiding these restaurants not only due to higher prices but also because of poor quality. We now prefer the mess,” those who regularly eat out say.

The City’s Hotel Owners Association president, Subramaniam, however, denied the claims of poor quality saying that hotels and restaurants in the city were in fact maintaining quality. “We are struggling against the price hike. But still we provide quality food even in a competitive environment,” he added.

Meanwhile, Salem Corporation Commissioner K.S. Palanisamy told `The Hindu’ that a team would soon be formed to conduct inspections regularly to monitor the food quality in city hotels.

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