Now Reading: UAE restaurants start serving Onam sadyas with higher prices
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UAE restaurants start serving Onam sadyas with higher prices
Several restaurants in the UAE have begun serving Onam sadyas ahead of the main festival on August 26, with some reporting full bookings and strong corporate orders. Calicut Paragon served sadyas to…
Several restaurants in the UAE have begun serving Onam sadyas ahead of the main festival on August 26, with some reporting full bookings and strong corporate orders. Calicut Paragon served sadyas to over 600 people on Friday, while Malabar Tiffin House has corporate orders of up to 800. Grand Entree and Street Food are among those that started serving to dining customers from August 21.
This year, the festive meal costs more as vegetable and banana leaf prices have surged by 35-40% due to regional conflict disrupting supply chains. Lulu Group is catering over 150,000 sadyas and 100,000 litres of payasam across the GCC, using more than 2,500 tonnes of ingredients flown in from India. Paragon Group expects to serve 25,000 to 30,000 sadyas across seven outlets.
Restaurants report strong demand from multinational companies and non-Malayali customers, including Koreans, Japanese, Europeans, and Americans. The Karama branch of Calicut Paragon will serve around 4,000 people on Thiruvonam day alone between 11:30am and 3:30pm. Restaurants will decide on extending sadya days based on demand after the long weekend.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The price rise reflects broader inflation in fresh produce across the Gulf, which has been worsened by shipping disruptions in the Red Sea. For the 1 million-plus Keralites in the UAE, the sadya is not just a meal but a cultural anchor, making demand inelastic despite higher costs. The key question is whether restaurants will absorb the increase or pass it on fully to customers. Watch for whether sadya prices rise further next week as the main feast day approaches.
Source: khaleejtimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
