Pune Restaurants Grapple with Power Cuts Amid Induction Cooking Shift
Just as Pune's restaurants and hotels were beginning to stabilize operations following recent disruptions in LPG supply, a new crisis has emerged. Over the last two to three days, unseasonal rain has triggered prolonged load shedding across the city, severely impacting commercial establishments that had switched to induction-based cooking during the gas shortage.
Daily Power Cuts Disrupt Kitchen Operations
In several parts of Pune, businesses are reporting daily power cuts lasting three to five hours. This has hit kitchens particularly hard, as many had transitioned to electric induction units to cope with the earlier LPG scarcity. Industry representatives highlight that the combined effect of weather-related outages and scheduled load shedding is causing significant operational chaos.
Saili Jahagirdar, chapter head of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) in Pune, explained the dependency on electricity. "When you move to induction and ovens, your kitchen becomes entirely reliant on power. One induction unit consumes around 3.5 kilowatts, and these systems are as heavy as air conditioners, so they cannot run on inverters. When there is no electricity, the kitchen simply shuts down," she said.
Order Delays and Customer Frustration Mount
The power disruptions have led to substantial delays in food service. "There is a lot of turbulence in order deliveries. Customers are calling repeatedly to ask where their orders are, with delays stretching up to an hour or more in some cases," Jahagirdar noted. She added that earlier delays due to LPG issues were typically limited to 15–20 minutes, but the current situation is far more severe.
A manager at a city-based hotel, who chose to remain anonymous, echoed these concerns. "Induction uses a lot of power. If it goes off mid-cooking, everything stops, and you have to restart the process, which adds to delays. We have generator backup, but it is not always adequate to run heavy equipment like induction systems smoothly," he said.
He further explained that both room service and restaurant orders are affected. "Earlier, the average serving time was around 20 minutes. Now, it has increased to at least 30–40 minutes due to load shedding and related disruptions," he stated.
MSEDCL Warns of Electrical Load Issues
A spokesperson from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) addressed the root cause of the problem. "Restaurant owners need to alter their approved electricity demand load after switching from LPG to electric stoves. If the earlier approved load is insufficient and usage exceeds it, this can lead to tripping at the restaurant level or at the MSEDCL transformer for that area, causing power supply disruptions," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson provided an example: "A single household electric stove consumes around 3 units of electricity if used for three hours. Larger models used in restaurants have much higher consumption, especially over several hours. This cumulative excess consumption impacts the quality of electricity supplied and is reflected at the transformer level."
To resolve this, the spokesperson advised that restaurants can apply to MSEDCL to increase their approved load. However, a caution was also issued: "The utility can take action against consumers who exceed their approved load and impose penalties. Additionally, restaurants should make necessary changes to wiring and electrical boards to handle the increased demand."
The twin challenges of LPG shortages and now power cuts are putting immense pressure on Pune's hospitality sector, with businesses struggling to maintain service standards amid escalating customer complaints.
