How a pepper spray episode resulted in Rs 3 lakh loss for restaurateur Priyank Sukhija

Mishaps in restaurants are common, despite following safety norms. Restaurateur Priyank Sukhija, CEO, First Fiddle Restaurants, would know this. Sukhija dealt with two fires in his restaurants, one resulting in the death of two guards.

Curbing the blaze
His first experience, Sukhija remembers, was in 2011, when fire destroyed his entire restaurant in Hauz Khas, Delhi. “Luckily, it happened when nobody was there,” says Sukhija, who was able to reopen the restaurant within two months as he had proper fire exits and NoCs. The fire started from a diya that Sukhija had lit after Diwali puja and the guard in charge, left it unattended. “The restaurant was closed and the diya torched the entire place. What I realised (from that) was that we had used wood not only on one wall, but also on the ceiling. So it didn’t take time for the fire to spread,” recalls the Delhi-based Sukhija.



Staying watchful
After the incident, Sukhija ensured that noncombustible materials like plaster, glass, bricks and tiles were used in his other restaurants. However, the second fire incident, two years later, occurred as a result of faulty kitchen equipment. A new refrigerator’s compressor burst, causing fire in another of his restaurants in Delhi. “The fire started at 3 am. It was their (guards’) duty to man the gates, but they slept on the restaurant floor. They died in their sleep due to asphyxiation. Their bodies had zero per cent burns,” says Sukhija. While he was able to open the restaurant after a month, the tragedy led Sukhija to replace the security agency to one that conducted surprise checks on the guards to ensure they were not sleeping on duty.

Spice attack
While these experiences prepared Sukhija for fire mishaps, he was taken by surprise by a pepper spray incident. A few months ago, in one of Sukhija’s Mumbai restaurants, someone used pepper spray. It was a Saturday night and the place was packed. Many patrons fled, even without paying the bill.

However, Sukhija views it pragmatically. “I don’t blame anyone. I would also run to safety first,” he says. The incident was reported to the police but, due to the crowd, it was difficult to catch the culprit. The loss through pending bills came to about Rs 3 lakh, apart from the tidy sum they could have earned from possible sales. “I am glad we got past it (the incident),” he says.