Holiers in Shivamogga are forced to trim the menu due to the shortage of LPG cylinders.
| Photo Credit: S.K. Dinesh
Faced with a shortage in supply of commercial gas cylinders, hoteliers in Shivamogga have been forced to take drastic measures to reduce their dependence on LPG. Many establishments have trimmed their menu by removing high-gas-consuming dishes while roadside eateries have opted to close down temporarily.
LPG supply has bene hit by the war in West Asia involving the US and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other.
Dosa off the menu
Restaurants that offered a wide variety of dosas every day have scaled it down. Some have removed dosa from the menu for the day.
“Dosa preparation consumes a high volume of gas compared to other food items,” said Dinesh, who runs Sri Guru Raghavendra Cafe at Gopala Extension in Shivamogga. “Normally, we start serving dosas early in the morning, but today, we limited our menu to idli and rice items,” he said.
His restaurant requires at least two cylinders a day, and with the current supply crunch, he has to manage with the available stock.
On the other hand, the private suppliers have increased the price of cylinders. “The private suppliers have increased the price by almost ₹900 each within the last one week. Yesterday, we purchased a cylinder by paying ₹2,400. By tomorrow, the price may go up again”, said another hotelier, who wished not to be named. However, he has not passed on the sudden hike to the customers by increasing the price of food items. “If we increase food prices all of a sudden, we will lose our regular customers,” he said.
Sathish Shetty, also a hotelier, said that, at present, his hotel is getting supply on a need basis. “We will run the operations as long as stock is available. Once we run out of the stock, we will close down,” he added.
Office-bearers of Shivamogga Hotel Owners’ Association met in Shivamogga on March 11. They appealed to the Deputy Commissioner to ensure supply of cylinders in tune with the demand.
Shankaranarayana Holla, the president of the association, said that a majority of the hotels would either close down or cut the menu to handle the situation.
Published – March 12, 2026 12:35 pm IST
