Mumbai may have been allowed an extended deadline to party till 5 am to welcome the New Year but people either don't know about it or restaurants don't wish to stay open that late. Even as the deadline of 1.30 am was extended till 5am for December 25, several restaurants and bars shut shop by 2 am or 3 am. According to many in the business, there were several reasons.

Naveen Shetty, who owns a few restaurants and bars in the city, blames it on lack of awareness among the public. "If a bar or restaurant has a reputation of remaining open till late, people generally know. So people prefer going to their regular late deadline places instead of new ones. This practice of allowing restaurants an extended deadline on just a couple of days in a year will not work."