Food home-delivery services are switching to induction tops and working double or even more hours to keep their businesses afloat due to the LPG crisis.
Many elderly people and working couples who rely on home delivery for their everyday meals are calling service providers to ask whether their food will be delivered, amid rising concerns about the crisis hitting home.
A home delivery service in central Calcutta that caters 75 to 80 meal packs every day has doubled its number of induction hobs in the last couple of days.
“We had four induction tops, and we ordered four more. We have to reduce our dependence on LPG to be able to keep running. We haven’t said no to anybody so far, but we are receiving queries from our regular customers whether we will still be providing meals or not,” said Mahua Sinha of Mama’s Kitchen in Maniktala.
Many people prefer home deliveries to cooks because they don’t have to monitor the cooks regularly at home or keep the refrigerator stocked with raw materials like fish, meat, and vegetables.
A 67-year-old retired teacher said she is worried about the “uncertainty” that looms large.
“It is worrisome because we don’t know how long this situation is going to continue. I am diabetic and suffered
a cardiac arrest last May, after which I have been instructed to avoid oily food. The
home delivery caters to my needs completely, but how
will they serve me if this
crisis prolongs?” said Angela Ghosh, who lives on Convent Road.
A working couple in Behala relies on home-delivered food on weekdays.
“We leave home around 8am and come back in the evening. Both my wife and I are busy on weekdays and can’t find the time to cook. A cook is also unreliable, so we have switched to home delivery and cook only on weekends,” said a 55-year-old working in a private firm.
Many of the home delivery service providers are working for longer hours to be able to cater to their regular customers, at least.
“Usually, I would start around 9am to deliver lunch at 1pm, but now I am starting from 6am. Switching to induction is a stopgap arrangement because it takes longer to cook compared to a burner,” said Tamosi Dutta, who runs a home kitchen and mostly supplies in the VIP Road and New Town area.
Another home delivery unit in Behala said the utensils used on induction tops are much smaller, which makes cooking slower.
“This is a global crisis, and we cannot curate fancy menus. Since we also take party orders, we are suggesting customers take baked items which can be done in the microwave,” said Sinha.
Dutta is managing with improvisations like pre-soaked grains or lentils.
“If it’s a fish curry, I am frying the fish in the induction top and using the burner to make the gravy. Not everything can be done on the induction, but I am trying,” said Dutta.
Some home delivery services are worried about the dependence on electricity and the rise in cost as well.
Dutta said she is charging ₹10 more for every thali she serves.