Hoteliers say the price of tea has gone up by around ₹5, while snacks and Indian bread have seen an increase of ₹2-3. | Photo credit: H. VIBHU
Food will become more expensive across the state after a sharp rise in LPG prices.
A large number of restaurants across the state have quietly increased the prices of their menu items by ₹2 to ₹5. According to hoteliers, the increase is due to the recent increase in the prices of commercial LPG cylinders. However, customers are dissatisfied and many are forced to reconsider their spending.
Hoteliers said the price of tea rose by around ₹5, while snacks and Indian bread saw an increase of ₹2-3. A 10 to 15 percent markup is being made on all menu items, hoteliers said.
CM Anumol, an employee of Kudumbashree, said she was shocked by the bill she received after she bought tea and schnitzel at a tea shop in a cooperative hospital recently. “Since our work is mostly outside, we depend a lot on restaurants. I have several cups of tea a day. The other day, a cup of tea and a snack cost me around ₹ 45. The burden has shifted to the common man and we cannot bear this kind of increase in the prices of things we rely on daily,” Ms. Anumol said.
MV Satheesan, an autorickshaw driver, said the hike would hit the common people hard. “It will force us to rethink eating out. Even though prices are still rising, our earnings remain the same. The increase has forced us to reduce our food spending,” he said.
Restaurant owners and hoteliers, meanwhile, said the hike was inevitable. “The sudden increase in gas cylinder prices will affect the entire industry. Not all restaurants have increased rates. Only those that have not revised their menu prices in recent months and those that find it difficult to maintain business with higher cylinder prices have increased rates. Even so, the increase is only around five to ten percent, which is still not enough to cope with the rising prices of raw materials and secret cooking gas,” said Erkulary Hotel, Restaurant and Restaurant Association KT Raala Kerna.
KB Sasi, president of the association’s Perumbavoor unit, said even restaurants in rural areas have hiked prices by at least ₹2. “Hoteliers had no choice but to increase prices. The increase was implemented across all segments, from teahouses to large hotels. I hope the public understands why we were forced to increase prices. Many restaurants are now increasingly relying on firewood as the amount that once covered the cost of three cylinders is now sufficient for only two,” Mr Sasi said.
Published – 10 May 2026 20:11 IST
