Ahmad Kirmani has owned the Prime Tandoori House in northeast Calgary, serving Indian food with the help of his wife and three teenage sons, since 2004. The restaurant has only three tables, since it primarily depends on take-out and delivery customers.

---

Ahmad Kirmani, owner of the Prime Tandoori House in northeast Calgary. (Andree Lau/CBC)CBCnews.ca: How have rising fuel prices affected you?

Ahmad Kirmani: "Very much, because the gas prices are going up and then everything is going up…. Delivery driver company prices are going up. Before it was $3 and now [the] price is going up to $5.

"If [a delivery order is] more than $35, then it's free and we pay it [the delivery cost] ourselves. If it's less then we charge the customer $5."

On buying his weekly supplies: "Right now, like the rice I buy is in the grocery store in the northeast. I [used to] go two times, and now we go only one time because I want to save on the driving."

Has there been a change in customer spending?

Kirmani estimates business dropped 30 per cent from last year "because gas prices are going up. Because also, it's very high prices for houses, people have to pay for mortgages too. It's too much."

If fuel prices doubled in the coming months, what impact would that have on you?

"Then it's going to be very difficult. It's not easy…. I don't know. I wish gas prices would go down, not up.

"We would cut our hours. Then I would put in less hours."

Will you increase your prices?

"Maybe. If the future is going to depend on it, maybe 10 or 15 per cent."

Would you cut your staff of six?

"No, I don't think so because then you couldn't find good people."

Would you cancel your delivery service?

"We do it because people need that. We can't ever refuse it."