India, May 7 -- The charges of obtaining a licence to serve liquor at a restaurant in Haryana has been hiked by 40% under the state's revised excise policy for 2025-27, a move that's expected to make dining out and nightlife in cities like Gurugram more expensive.

The steep rise - coupled with increased procurement and compliance costs - has left restaurateurs and patrons bracing for sharp price hikes on alcohol menus, threatening to dull the city's vibrant after-hours culture.

The impact will be most pronounced in premium hospitality hubs, where liquor prices are set to surge. "The licence fee has jumped from Rs.18 lakh to nearly Rs.25 lakh for a restaurant like ours. Add procurement hikes and we'll have to raise menu prices by at leas...