Kolkata eateries start dropping steak, burger from menu

KOLKATA: Several continental restaurants in the city dropped steaks and hamburgers from menu after supply of beef dried up over the weekend.

Nizam's restaurant at New Market has also discontinued its beef items temporarily since Friday. Its chairman Samar Nag said, "We have temporarily discontinued beef items as supply has been hit. I hope we will get a clearer picture after Bakrid."

Beef items such as beef biryani also went off the table at Zam Zam Restaurant on Noor Ali Avenue as there is no supply.

The Burger Shop at Rashbehari Avenue took to Instagram and said that "beef is no longer available". The post read, "This is an announcement that we make with a heavy heart, after five years of serving burgers exactly the way we wanted, and you loved, we are making a change in menu. Beef is no longer available at The Burger Shop... ." Co-owner Utsha Das said, "We don't know what the situation is going to be like. As of now, there is no supply."

Steakyard at Lake Terrace stopped serving beef dishes even before the govt called for enforcement of norms at slaughterhouses. "We had tenderloin steak and other beef dishes that were discontinued after the polls," said restaurant supervisor Kaushik Pahar.

Mocambo owner Nitin Kothari said the dishes were still on the menu but were not being served as supply had ceased. "We are waiting for supply to resume. But if it does not, we will have to remove it from menu," he said.

Some restaurants, including Olypub on Park Street, Chapter 2 off Southern Avenue and Steak & Grill on Hindustan Road, are still serving the dishes but admit that they may have to discontinue soon. "Beef items would not be scrapped off. But if the irregular supplies continue, then we will have to tell our patrons that the dish could not be prepared due to supply issues. No beef ban has been told by the govt, the problem is with supply," said Zarin Tangri of Olypub.

Shiladitya Chaudhury, owner of Chapter 2, said supplies were limited. "We haven't taken the beef steak off the menu. Once supplies become very uncertain, we will have to take a call," he said.

Meat suppliers have informed eateries and fast food outlets that they are unable to provide beef after slaughtering operations at Tangra abattoir came to a halt. Officials at the abattoir said it stopped receiving fresh cattle supply after Thursday, affecting the city's beef supply chain.

"We informed several restaurants, stalls and roll counters on Monday that beef would not be available till the situation is resolved," said a supplier to eateries and fast food centres. Apart from restaurants, the disruption has also hit roadside stalls and retail meat shops in some neighbourhoods, with many smaller eateries temporarily withdrawing beef items from menus.

(Inputs from Srishti Lakhotia)