Onion effect: Biryani brands mull price hike

A date with your favourite nawabi dish in the city may no longer be easy on the pocket.

To buffer the burgeoning rate of onion, which touched an all-time high of Rs 140/kg last week, historical food brands such as Tunday Kababi, Idrees Biryani, Wahid Biryani and Mubeen’s are considering a hike in menu prices because reducing portions alone isn’t helping matters much.

According to eatery owners, onions make up one-sixth of any non-vegetarian recipe such as kebab, biryani, nihari and korma. In the past five months, the price of onion has increased three times and as a result, the cost of production has gone up by 25-30%.

For instance, one plate of chicken curry requires 200gm of onion and is also served with raw onion rings. Till August, when the price of onion was around Rs 50/kg, the cost of production for a plate of chicken curry was around Rs 53 and the price on the menu after adding 25% profit was Rs 70. Once the price of onion breached Rs 100/kg, the cost of production escalated to Rs 65 per plate, leaving a profit margin of only Rs 5.

Eatery owners said they first tried to accommodate the current price of onion by reducing its quantity in the salad. Next, they replaced salad onions with radish and carrots. But now, the crisis has become too hot to handle and revising menu prices seems the only viable option. “Had the onion crisis spanned 2-3 months, we may have managed with less profits. But, it has been deepening for six months with no relief in sight. We have to increase menu prices to sustain business,” said Shoaib of Idrees Biryani.

Mohammad Usman of Tunday Kababi at Chowk couldn’t agree more. “Our aim has always been to offer every customer a sumptuous meal at Rs 70. When the price of onion doubled, we tried to make do by reducing quantity per plate. If onion tears continue, the only choice left will be to increase menu prices so that quality is not compromised,” he said. Manager of Wahid Restaurant Abdul Wahab said they had stopped packing onion with the tangy green chutney for takeaways to buffer the price blow. “However, in-house guests are still served onion salad. We need new pricing strategy to keep our business going,” he added.

Mubeen’s has started using a special variety of apple, which is not sweet, in place of onion in gravy. “However, it is not a long-term solution. Nothing tastes as good as onions in a non-veg curry. An increase in menu price is inevitable,” said Shoeb, manager of the restaurant.

Source:- https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/food-services/onion-effect-biryani-brands-mull-price-hike/72591461