MUMBAI: Whether it was a tipsy reveller or someone returning from a late night shift in need of some post-movie feeding, several bleary-eyed shops and eateries at city malls remained open beyond midnight hours for people to browse and dine during the test drive of the 24x7 functioning permit on Friday night.The first day first show of shops and restaurants being allowed to remain open till 3am drew a lukewarm response though. Given the lack of awareness about the plan suddenly coming into force two days before the proposed date of the night hours of January 26-27, the footfalls were few and far between despite malls pulling out all the stops—security measures, new recruits, discounts and even open-air movie screenings for free.The late night trial run of food courts and eateries seems to have resolved the long- standing dilemma of late night hunger pangs though. Even if shops and restaurants stayed shut at several malls, food courts did a fine job.Take, for instance, teenage brothers Fahad, Shadab, Fahim and Zayed who live in Pathanwadi. They entered Oberoi Mall in Goregaon at 2.30am for a snack. “On weekends we hang out in the room playing games but this gives us an outlet to step out and experience something different,” said the brothers.Devasish, an event manager who had just gotten off duty at Shanmukhananda Hall in Sion, made a stop at Infiniti Mall in Andheri with his family of five on their way back home in Kandivli. “My entire family is involved in events work. We have uncertain hours and it usually gets late by the time a program is done and we find ourselves scrambling for dinner. When I heard the food court here was to remain open, I thought it was a safe environment for us to come and find something proper to eat. On other days we either have to depend on late night stalls or make do with whatever’s at home,” said Devasish, as he dug into a slice of pizza.But there were many who sauntered into food courts or shops in the afterhours on Friday as they were surprised to find shutters up.Although some pubs and eateries at malls such as Phoenix Market City in Kurla or R City in Ghatkopar were brimming till early hours, only select places stayed open for late night shopping. Dashrath Rathod, a resident of Borivli, for instance, was among the 15-odd people who walked into a lifestyle store at Oberoi Mall after midnight and spent at least an hour with his wife, son and daughter in retail therapy.Meanwhile, very few made their way into malls like Phoenix Market City in Kurla or R City in Ghatkopar late at night, while the food courts and shopping outlets despite the permission to stay open decided to down shutters by 2.45am.Of the three malls that TOI visited in South Mumbai between Colaba and Lower Parel, only one shop seemed to stay open till the early hours and was visited by three patrons, generating a business of about Rs 8,500.Malls in Bhandup and Mulund had put up shutters by 10.30pm while the food court at Galleria, a shopping complex in Powai’s Hiranandani area, shut business by around 1.30am. “It does not make sense to keep eateries open late into the night. This will increase expenses while good footfalls are hard to come by even during the day,” said the owner of an Asian restaurant at Galleria.While most people TOI spoke to seemed upbeat about the perks of longer hours, a few managers of commercial establishments and even late night shoppers were wary of the impact on business in coming days, given the money and manpower needed.If a security guard at Galleria had concerns over how crime rates might spike following late night drinking, police, too, seemed sceptical. One of the 20 policemen parked at a Lower Parel mall said, “This policy is for the rich. See the number of youngsters who are out. We have to keep a close eye on everything to prevent mishaps.”Malls like Infiniti had recruited at least seven extra security guards. “Once the plan is activated we’ll have to be extra cautious. Not all shops will be open and we will have to constantly monitor the movement of people.”Phoenix Market City’s security manager, Ramesh Kharatmol said police had visited the mall and checked their preparedness while inspector M Patil from Kurla police station who had visited said, “We have given a list of security arrangements that has to be followed.”