Paolo, a soccer coach from Brazil staying in Mumbai, was disappointed to find out that that his favourite restaurant in Colaba, the iconic Leopold Café, will not serve any beef dishes for now.
“I want to return to Brazil immediately,” Paolo said in a lighter vein. Leopold Café and other popular eating joints like Fountain Sizzler in Mumbai have stopped serving dishes like tenderloin steaks and grilled beef after the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, originally passed 20 years ago by the then BJP-Shiv Sena government, finally got an assent from the President on Tuesday.
The Bill bans slaughter of cow, bull and bullocks. Anyone found selling or in possession of meat from these animals can face imprisonment of five years and a fine of ₹10,000.
Transport, sale or purchase of cows, bulls and bullocks for slaughter is also banned. Though the Bill allows slaughter and consumption of water buffaloes, restaurant owners do not want to take a chance and have taken all dishes with bull or buffalo meat off the menu.
A long-serving employee at Leopold, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the impact would be severe as the restaurant will lose its foreign clients, who form about 85 per cent of the total clientele. “We don’t want to take chances. So, have removed beef products from the menu for now at the cost of losing customers,” he said.
Even five star hotels, which served dishes made with imported beef, have altered their menu till they get clarity on whether importing will be termed as “possession” of the banned meat. Gaurav Kumra, Executive VP, Food and Beverage, Oberoi Hotels, said, “We have already taken beef off the menu since yesterday. Now we have to take a decision on how to substitute beef with other meats.”
Bhishek Basu, F&B, Manager, Leela Mumbai, said: “Beef comprises nearly 30-40 per cent of the meats used in our dishes. Apart from sales being hit, we are more worried about guest satisfaction levels dipping as a result of this ban.”
The restaurant owners, through their industry association, have sought clarity on what is allowed and what is not. “We are waiting for the official notification. What we understand is the ban is on cow slaughter and not consumption, sale of beef,” said Bharat Malkani, President of Hotels and Restaurants Association (Western Region).
According to Malkani, most restaurants in Mumbai serve buffalo meat, also called Carabeef, which doesn’t fall under the ban.
(With inputs from Purvita Chatterjee and Rahul Wadke)