Who Stole Your Weekday?

Every day seems to be a weekend now. Tables are full, no one's waiting for Friday night to go out. See how the change has rolled out across India

- Anushree Chatterjee

Wait a minute, what day is it? At restaurants, there's no way to tell anymore. Packed tables and long waits now spill over from the Fri-Sun rush to weekdays. Post-work drinks, featuring an office gang of 14, begin as early as Monday evening. Bored WFH workers are sneaking in a lunch here, a dinner here, just for a change of scene. First-dates are playing out at the corner tables in the cities. In smaller towns, students are splitting the bill after a long spell of projects. Families are taking a break from home cooking by trying out a new cuisine. Out-of-town executives are making reservations at the must-try places as they travel.

Little indulgences, it seems, can no longer wait for the weekend. Celebration starts now, and restaurants are obliging in ways they'd never considered before.

A full plate

Of course, restaurants are delighted; it means more business. Alexander Valladares, chief marketing officer for Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, which owns the Social chain (44 across India), says they offer week-long entertainment in addition to the food.

There are music gigs, sports screenings and shopping events.

"Weekdays are also packed owing to Social Works, a space for gig workers and hybrid model professionals," he says. "We see people here for meetings or catch-ups."

Mitesh Rangras has been a hospitality consultant for 23 years and has worked on projects across India.

He says a restaurant's success boils down to location. "A place within a mixed residential and commercial area will be busy on all days of the week." So, neighbourhoods such as Lokhandwala or Lower Parel in Mumbai, are likely to be buzzing regardless of how close it is to the weekend.