Restaurants, cafes rule out menu price hikes in festive quarter despite UPI MDR levy and rising food inflation

New Delhi: Cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars are unlikely to raise menu prices further in the October-December quarter, the busiest season for the hospitality industry, after the Centre said UPI-driven transactions above ₹2,000 would attract a 0.4% merchant discount rate (MDR) levy from next month.

“There are supply chain challenges, but consumption has never been so high, and people are going out so much,” said Burma Burma co-founder Chirag Chhajer. “These are exciting times, and we are foreseeing the best ever October-December quarter in terms of revenues for the chain and we won’t be hiking our prices due to the MDR levy.”