Commercial LPG shortages hit Indian restaurants in clusters — monsoon logistics, subsidy reforms, or regional supply crunches. When your 19kg cylinder lead time goes from same-day to 5 days, margin and throughput collapse unless you have a fuel playbook ready. Here's what to do before, during, and after a shortage.
The signal
LPG crises rarely arrive without warning. Three lead indicators show up 2-3 weeks before restaurant kitchens feel the pinch:
- Distributor rationing notices — when your LPG dealer starts capping orders at 2-4 cylinders per delivery vs your usual 8-12.
- Spot cylinder price premium — grey-market commercial cylinders trading at 15-25% above contract rate in your city.
- Peer kitchen chatter — WhatsApp groups for your locality's restaurant owners reporting delayed refills or partial fills.
Fuel mix by kitchen type
| Kitchen type | Daily LPG use | Backup option | Switch cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tandoor / charcoal grill | 6-12 cylinders | Charcoal + wood (pre-stock) | Low; tandoor already dual-fuel |
| Wok / Chinese line | 4-8 cylinders | Induction wok stations | Medium; needs 3-phase power |
| Gravy / bulk prep | 3-6 cylinders | Commercial induction + pressure cooker | Low if induction already installed |
| Bakery / confectionery | 2-5 cylinders | Electric deck oven | High if oven-only setup |
| Cloud kitchen (delivery) | 2-4 cylinders | Induction + electric fryer | Medium; packaging unchanged |
Week 0-1: before cylinders run out
- Lock distributor allocation — call your primary dealer; pay advance for 14-day cylinder quota at current rate.
- Audit high-burn menu items — list every dish that needs open-flame or high-BTU cooking; these are your first 86 candidates.
- Pre-prep on electric — shift base gravies, rice, and slow-cook items to induction or pressure cooker batches.
- Secondary distributor — onboard a backup dealer in a different supply zone; never run single-source on fuel.
Week 2-4: during the shortage
| Action | Impact | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 86 open-flame specials (tandoori, live grill) | Cuts LPG 25-40% | High |
| Throttle aggregator high-burn SKUs | Protects dine-in throughput | High |
| Switch to induction for gravies + rice | Cuts LPG 15-25% | Medium |
| Reduce fryer batch size; stagger peaks | Cuts LPG 10-15% | Medium |
| Temporary +5-8% surcharge on flame-cooked items | Recovers fuel premium | Low (last resort) |
- Menu micro-prune — temporarily remove the 3-5 dishes with highest flame time per cover.
- Aggregator inventory caps — set out-of-stock on flame-heavy delivery items before dine-in runs dry.
- Shift prep to off-peak — batch cook gravies and rice during low-traffic hours when cylinder pressure is stable.
- Daily fuel log — track cylinders per 100 covers; a 20% drift in 3 days means a leak, theft, or portioning problem.
What not to do
Don't switch to domestic (subsidised) cylinders for commercial use. Enforcement raids during shortages are common; licence suspension costs more than a week of premium commercial LPG. Don't buy from unlicensed grey-market dealers without quality checks — adulterated LPG damages burners and creates safety risk.
When supply normalises
Reverse temporary surcharges within 7 days of normal refill lead times. Audit your fuel log against pre-crisis baseline; if consumption is still 10%+ higher, you have a permanent ops leak — usually over-portioning or burners running idle between service.
Model fuel-sensitive dish margins →