Bengaluru Gas Crisis Deepens: Hotels Slash Menus; Staff Sent Home

Bengaluru faces a commercial gas shortage on March 17, 2026, forcing hotels to use firewood, cut menus, and send staff home, as falling customers and supply issues deepen the crisis in the hospitality sector.

Bengaluru (Mar 17): The shortage of commercial gas cylinders continued on Monday, pushing the city's hotel industry deeper into trouble. Many hotels had to keep using firewood stoves and were struggling to manage their staff.

Hotel owners were hoping for some improvement in the gas cylinder supply, but Monday brought more disappointment. With no proper supply, they had no choice but to rely on firewood stoves.

Some hotels also saw fewer customers, making owners wonder how they would pay their staff's salaries. The industry was already facing a labour shortage, and retaining the existing workers was a big challenge.

At Hallimane hotel in Malleswaram, staff confirmed they have switched to firewood stoves due to the gas shortage. "For the past week, we've been facing this cylinder problem. We are preparing our 'holige oota' (a special meal) on firewood," a staff member said.

Hotel Staff Sent Back to Villages

The gas cylinder crisis at Kadamba Hotel on 11th Cross, Malleswaram, has left employees with no work. The hotel has sent eight of its workers back to their hometowns. They have stopped making items that need a lot of gas, like dosas, pooris, and full meals. Instead, they are only preparing idlis and rice baths. "Our customer numbers have also dropped," said the hotel's manager, Nagaraju, expressing his frustration.

Adyar Ananda Bhavan Slashes Menu by 25%

Due to the commercial gas shortage, over 40 Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) restaurants in the city have cut down their menus significantly.

Naveen, a cashier at the Shantinagar A2B restaurant, told Kannada Prabha, "There are about 40 A2B restaurants in Bengaluru. Earlier, each restaurant used to prepare some dishes on-site. But because of the gas shortage, food is now being cooked on firewood stoves at our large, centralised kitchen in Nagavara and then supplied to all outlets."

"We have cut our menu by 25% because of the gas shortage. For the last four days, we haven't been making poori, parotta, or chapati. We are only preparing idlis and rice baths," he explained.