According to a PTI report, eating out at restaurants and hotels could get costlier in the coming days as Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR) has asked its members to raise prices following an increase in input costs.

Chandrashekar Shetty, President, AHAR said, "We have asked our members, numbering 6,000 in Mumbai, to raise their menu prices by at least 30 per cent." A steady rise in prices of essential commodities such as vegetables, pulses and gas, among others, has hit the bottom line of restaurants and small eateries, which have held their price─line till now.

"This step had to be taken for our survival. There has been a steady increase in the price of inputs like vegetables, pulses and gas," Shetty said. AHAR also plans to take up the issue of input price rise with the state government. Apart from rising input costs, factors such as higher rentals, mounting overhead costs, staff shortage and changing tastes of consumers are also adding to our woes, Shetty said.