Impasse over rent resolved, eateries at Elante mall resume services
Though the mall management didn’t give details of the agreement, the proprietor of a restaurant confirmed that the rent for the lockdown period was waived.
Restaurants at Elante Mall that had kept their doors closed for nearly two weeks over rent disagreement have started reopening following a consensus over rebate with the mall management.
Having remained closed since June 8 when the mall resumed business, some restaurants opened on Saturday, while most will restart operations on Monday.
“The restaurants working on our premises are our partners, and now it is our turn to help them. Rebates have been given to restaurateurs, and they have started opening up already. Only the arcades, bars and movie halls will remain closed now,” said Anil Malhotra, executive director, corporate affairs, Nexus Malls.
Although Malhotra didn’t go into details of the agreement, the proprietor of a restaurant here, requesting anonymity, confirmed that the rent for the lockdown period was waived.
“The management has waived the rent for April and May, and agreed to reduce our rent by more than half till September,” he said.
Backpackers Cafe was among the few restaurants that reopened after nearly three months. “The response on Day 1 has been satisfactory,” said Abhay Jagat, its proprietor.
Staff at Chili’s, Pirates of the Grill and Nandos confirmed that they will open business from Monday, while Nik Bakers has already been open for two days.
Footfall rises
As 90% of the 234 shops at the mall, run by Nexus Malls, have resumed business, the number of visitors has also started going up.
From a few thousands, Malhotra confirmed, the footfall was as high as 10,000 on Saturday, which was about 30% of their regular visitors before the lockdown.
Retail stores have also started reporting increase in sales. Manager of the Zara store, Deepak said, “We are seeing more customers now. Our sale is also on, so the footfall is increasing daily.”
As per the protocol issued by the administration, visitors must install Aarogya Setu app and wear a face mask before entering the mall. The mall has been fitted with special cameras to detect crowds and alert the mall personnel.
