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Month: March 2020

Contactless Delivery: The Safe Way Ahead 

Posted on by inrestoblog

As the COVID-19 outbreak becomes a matter of global concern, social distancing has become our only saviour. While we are all inside our homes, minimizing physical contact, the outbreak has taken a serious turn. The government has declared a strict lockdown with all restaurants being closed for dining out, however, the delivery and take away business is still operational. People are not dining out, but they are still looking for safe food delivery options.

Contactless delivery is one such simple initiative to carry-on business, responsibly. Here restaurants take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the customers, and staff. Fast-food giants across the country have adopted this new safeguarding method to ensure social distancing and continue to deliver good food.

What is Contactless delivery?

It is a new way to practice social distancing in the food delivery business. One of the several initiatives for businesses to sustain sales without compromising on safety, this method ensures that there is zero physical contact between the delivery agent and the customer.  The delivery agent leaves the food package at the customer’s doorstep, and the customer is notified about the delivery status via call or on the track order feature available on the food delivery app. 

Here’s how you can execute contactless delivery for your restaurant:

  1. Train your Staff Around Safety Measures

  2. The instruction manual issued by your restaurant for the employees must include these important pointers:
    • Wear gloves while preparing and delivering food
    • Use sanitizer before and after making each delivery
    • Do not hand the delivery package to the customers; leave it at their doorstep.
    • After placing the package at the doorstep, notify the customer about the delivery status. 

    Remember to take your customer’s feedback, digitally, to ensure that your delivery agents are following all the safety guidelines. 

  3. 2. Promote Contactless Delivery

    Use your restaurant app/website to promote contactless delivery and make your customers understand why it’s important for them as well as your staff. It is the need of the hour to stay socially distant to stop the spread of the virus. 

    You can also personally inform your customers about all the precautions that your restaurant is taking using SMS, email as well as social media campaigns. Your regular customers would feel connected, and they would know that you are with them in this fight against COVID-19. 

  4. 3. Focus on the Packaging

  5. Make sure the food packaging is intact and solid —stock up on extra tapes. The delivery person’s handbags should be properly cleaned and sanitized at regular intervals. And remember the package should always be handled with gloves on.

  7. 4. Food Untouched with Bare Hands

    Make sure the food packaging is intact and solid —stock up on extra tapes. The delivery person’s handbags should be properly cleaned and sanitized at regular intervals. And remember the package should always be handled with gloves on. 

  10. 5. Symptom Check and Staff Survey

  11. Regularly check the temperature of your staff; anybody with the symptoms should not be allowed to work at the restaurant. If there is anyone who is sick, give them leaves and advise them to get their tests done. Anyone who has been in contact with a person who has recently travelled abroad must be asked to stay in quarantine for 14-26 days.

  13. 6. Promote Cashless Payments

  14. To further facilitate successful contactless delivery, you must encourage your customers to make cashless payments. While placing the order on the app, the cash on delivery option must reflect a warning like- ‘The exchange of cash can be a transmitting channel of the virus. Pay online to avoid direct physical contact between you and the delivery agent.’Send personalized SMS and email to your customers, informing them of the importance of cashless payments for the safety of everyone. 
    And lastly, while we are all thankful for the chefs and delivery executives who are working selflessly during these trying times, we must encourage our customers to be cooperative and extra kind.Stay Safe. Stay Responsible. 🙂

Sign the petition and help the F&B Industry survive

Posted on by inrestoblog

The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted lives all over the world in the last few weeks. This is an uncertain time for us as a community as there is still a lot we don’t know.

With an annual turnover of approximately  Rs. 4  lac crore, the restaurant industry in India provides direct employment to over 70 lac people. In this state of temporary lockdown, these  70 lac Indians are in a very precarious situation, fighting a crucial battle for their basic survival. 

The industry functions on a very high proportion of fixed operating expenses; with even moderate revenue fluctuations, it makes the restaurants and related parties high-risk businesses.

Dineout and the F&B industry thrive on social gatherings, but practising social distancing is the need of the hour, and that is what we shall do to prevent this from turning into grave circumstances. Amidst this uncertainty and a country-wide lockdown, restaurants have taken a severe hit. They have either had to shut operations altogether or limit their services to takeaway and delivery options.

We are looking at almost zero revenue in the immediate term and a drop of 50% for months after that. We as a community have taken a hard call to shut down our operations in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, despite incurring financial losses in the process. 

With restaurant-first being our motto, we as a partner have taken an initiative to support our restaurant partners in this crucial hour and also ensure that all of us stay safe and come out of this much stronger as a community. 

Petition To Immediately Introduce Employee Unemployment Pay Cover for F&B Industry:

The F&B industry is reliant on cash-flows and maintaining its huge employee base is turning out to be a strenuous task during the shutdown, with manpower being the second largest expense. This, coupled with upcoming statutory dues, utility bill payments, EMI payments & interests, rental dues, etc. puts immense pressure on them. We realised that the need of the hour is to provide the F&B sector with immediate relief by way of deferment of these dues, to avoid wide-scale job cuts.

We have thus started a petition on Change.org, asking the Ministry of Finance to introduce employee unemployment pay cover immediately, so that no one has to worry about their salaries in this difficult time.

Please sign the Petition at https://www.change.org/ReliefForRestaurants to show your unconditional love & support for the team behind your favourite restaurants.

We are seeking your support – as a partner, a fellow industry colleague or a human being who enjoys dining out, to support the F&B ecosystem in this time of crisis. 

We need a Total of 50,000 signatures to be able to present it to the Finance Minister. Help us get there.

Sign the Petition: https://www.change.org/ReliefForRestaurants

 

 

The world is Gotham city and Dineout is Batman

Posted on by inrestoblog

Dineout, India’s largest dining out and restaurant tech platform has always believed in a restaurant first approach. Supporting the restaurant business with cutting edge technology has always been our forte. But when life throws a curveball, like that of COVID-19, what do we do? Do we dodge? Or do we swing our bat and hit it out of the stadium? We believe in the latter, and we swing it real hard.

All of us have been bombarded with news about COVID-19 and its implications on our society. And the restaurant industry has been the first to bear the brunt. The news about our restaurant industry expecting a loss between 70,000 – 80,000 crore is disheartening. And this pulls the heartstrings of about 7.3 million people who invest their blood and sweat in it every day. So what do we do? The restaurant industry, being the thought leader that they are, has taken a brave step towards safeguarding their diners. They have either temporarily stopped services, or have adopted contact-less delivery. The precautionary measures at such delivery restaurants are at par with medical facilities. 

So we have decided to take matters into our own hands. Using Dineout platform, we have set up a rescue plan, Operation: Restaurant Vouchers. 

Here is how ‘Restaurant Vouchers’ works-

  1. Using our ‘Restaurant Vouchers’ platform, we empower your loyal diners to buy vouchers of either 500 INR or 1000 INR. These vouchers have a validity period of 3-6 months. So as soon as things calm down and they can all step out, they will walk straight through your open doors.
  2. We encourage our restaurant partners to give us an inventory of either 50 vouchers, each worth 1000 INR or 100 vouchers, each worth 500 INR. How does this help the restaurant? People buy vouchers that they will use in the future, which guarantees immediate cash flow.
  3. How does the diner benefit? The diner buys these vouchers at a discounted price. This discount is up to 30%, at the restaurants’ discretion.
  4. These vouchers will apply on the total bill, which is inclusive of taxes.
  5. What does Dineout get out of this? Your love.

Your diners are in knee-deep withdrawal symptoms from not getting all the love that you serve along with your food. So, this is our little way of playing batman, the hero in a cape. We’re committed to do our part and continue to introduce new tools in the coming days to help facilitate support for the restaurant business community.

We hope our effort helps ‘flatten the curve’ of lost income for restaurants and secures the business and its staff’s needs. You are lucky to have such lovely and loyal diners who can’t stop thinking of those crispy, fiery peri-peri fries that you serve!

 

As you read this, we already are assisting about 1000 restaurants with ‘Restaurant Vouchers’. If you want to know more about this, write to us at info@dineout.co.in. Or call up your salesperson. We are all working from home, but we can’t stop thinking about you. Let us help you rewrite history.

 

Measures a restaurant needs to take to be safe from Covid- 19

Posted on by inrestoblog

Covid-19, commonly known as Coronavirus, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. This has resulted in a panic amongst people. In India, Covid-19 cases rise to 147, and the numbers are growing steadily.

Under such circumstances, it is essential to maintain the utmost hygiene to keep both your staff and diners safe. The lack of confidence to step out in public spaces is making people wary about going to malls and restaurants in particular. People have started avoiding non-vegetarian food. Among various covid-19 trending hashtags, #NoMeat_NoCoronaVirus has been an ongoing one. 

The food and beverage industry has seen decreased footfall due to this. Although, with the right safety measures being taken, restaurants are performing their role by taking extra care of the hygiene. It’s not only a matter of your customer’s safety but also the matter of your own safety. With food delivery platforms like zomato and swiggy opting for services like – leave the food at the door service, where the valet leaves the food at the doorstep, and the customer can pick it up later, many restaurants are also following conduct because health comes first. All of us together need to save the world from this pandemic. 

Here are the preventive measures you can incorporate in your restaurant to protect your staff and your guests:

Masks and surgical gloves for staff

 

The staff should be instructed to work with the mask and gloves on only. It should be mandatory for the chefs and servers who are handling the food items.

Staff Survey Activity 

  • The staff must be surveyed. It must be made sure that their family or friends do not have this virus or have been suspected of it. 
  • Proper check must happen on whether staff members have travelled abroad recently, especially to China or Italy
  • On-ground check-ups must be conducted. A person must be assigned to check the temperature of the staff as they enter the restaurant every day

If any of the above is true for any staff member, then they should immediately be sent to the hospital for a check-up.

Keep your outlet extra clean

Sanitize your restaurant every day

  • The furniture, the floors and the kitchen space should be sanitized every day before closing. Extra care of hygiene at all times must be ensured. The frequency of cleaning has to be increased. 
  • Sanitizers at every table must be kept for your guests. There must be a designated hygienic space where your staff and guests can wash their hands. 

 

Inform your customers of the safety measures

The diners must be aware that you are serious about their safety and that you have taken the necessary preventive measures. Send them personalised SMS or emails that convey the message. 

Providing healthy and clean meals to your guests must be the priority right now, and taking care of the fact that the work environment is safe for your staff is also very important. It would be best if you told your staff and diners that your restaurant is taking all the necessary measures.

The good part is that if the right measures are taken at the right time, we can prevent the virus from spreading further. Incorporate these things at your restaurant and make it a safe space for your colleagues and guests.

Now that you have read this blog. Don’t forget to wash your hands. 😉

Stay Safe 🙂

 

 

Women Restaurateurs Who are Changing the Face of the Restaurant Industry

Posted on by inrestoblog

Women have been ruling the kitchens for ages. Some genius said, if you are good at something don’t do it for free, and they took it seriously. So here’s a toast to women restaurateurs who have been ruling the food industry with their gifted talents.

1. Anahita Dhondy Of SodaBottleOpenerWala

Success comes to those who wait, but that was not so much the case for this young lady. She is an award-winning, youngest female chef in Delhi. She has her name written on various awards and magazines. She has been taking her native Parsi cuisine to another level. In a city like Delhi, where we cannot obsess enough over Chole Bhature, Anahita made Parsi cuisine loved by hundreds of people. 

Her journey in her own words:

“From being one of the ten women at IHM-Aurangabad to working at the Taj hotels and then to Le Cordon Bleu which later led me to work under the guidance of Chef Sabyasachi Gorai and Mr AD Singh at SodaBottleOpenerWala and now managing and being a chef-partner at one of the outlets have been a huge learning experience.” 

2. Usha Batra of Cafe Delhi Heights

The woman with the most inspiring story is Usha Batra, the Culinary Director of Cafe Delhi Heights. Coming from a not so well off background, Usha struggled to and worked hard to reach where she is today. Her journey started in the year 1976 when circumstances were difficult, and she couldn’t even provide one square meal for her kids. To manage, she took a loan of sixteen hundred rupees from a friend to start a garment fabrication business. 

Her sons encouraged her to explore new opportunities and follow her passion that is cooking. This led to the inception of Café Delhi Heights, which is one of its kind three-generational café where all 3 generations can enjoy a meal together at any time of the day. With an ambiance that is vibrant, quirky yet comfortable, warm and loving. 

3. Pooja Dhingra- Le 15 Patisserie 

The Macron lady, Pooja Dhingra, is the one who introduced us to an entire collection of macarons. She brought a whole new trend of desserts to India. Her bakery has the most delicious and the most Instagrammable desserts you have ever seen. Apart from being the owner of Le15 Patisserie, she has written two books- The Wholesome Kitchen: Nourish. Energize. Indulge. And Big Book Of Treats.

4. Natasha Jain Of Plum By Bent Chair

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and thought to yourself what if you owned one of those beautiful dining tables or that antique chair or that quirky showpiece? 

The Stanford University alumnus, Natasha Jain, juggling with startup ideas, built this thought into a business model. 

Plum by Bent Chair is India’s first retail restaurant with the most delicious Asian food.

5. Megha Kohli- Lavaash By Saby

The youngest chef of India is Meghna Kohli. The secret of Meghna’s success at Lavaash By Saby is that she puts her heart and soul when it comes to making the most exquisite dish. Her experience with top restaurants has helped her refine her skills. 

She has a strong opinion on gender equality, and as the head chef, she makes sure that men and women meet shoulders at the workspace. 

 

All these women, young and bold, are redefining the restaurant space by bringing in innovations, and new trends. With the restaurant industry rewarding and recognizing the male chefs more often, they had their hurdles, but nothing stopped them from being the boss ladies that they are. 

Just how amazing these women are, so are their restaurants in their unique way. It’s inspiring, and the delicious food keeps us going back to these restaurants. 

 

How Digital Menu Helps You Increase Your Profit Margin & Offers Diners An Exclusive Experience

Posted on by inrestoblog

Digital Magazines, e-Books, or be it digital payments, India’s obsession with technology is growing day by day, and there is something new coming up every month. And now, with the restaurant industry going massively digital, the latest addition to the list is digital menu already leading the charts in the restaurant technology trends.

Restaurants that have digitized menus record higher sales and revenue with desserts alone witnessing a 30% increase in sales. 

What is A Digital Menu?

Digital Menu

It is an online food ordering system at the restaurant that is accessible to the diners via their mobile phones. The diners at your restaurant can scan the QR code printed on the tent card, and the menu will pop up on their phones. They can select food items and place their order directly. 

This can be the first step to boost sales. You get an opportunity to offer an exclusive dining experience to your customers that also translates to increased average order value. Leading restaurants have been successfully using digital menus at their restaurants. And this has helped them increase revenue.

Here is how digital menus are the future of restaurants:

 

  • Cross-selling and Up-selling made simple

Cross-sell and Up-sell menu items

The digital menu helps recommend items to diners based on their order history. It also highlights chef specials or hot selling items during that season, helping you up-sell. 

In addition to that, you can cross-sell by creating new combos or eliminating old ones, as per your convenience.

  • Eliminate extra cost

A digital menu helps you customize your menu and pricing for the same on the go. Avoid spending your time and resources on printed/physical menus. The introduction of the digital menu helps eliminate the need for staff to take orders. The cost savings can be used to train and remove other challenges faced during service.

  • Reduce wait time for diners

 The diners get the control and flexibility of placing an order at their own pace when they don’t have to wait for someone to take their order. They can highlight any special request according to their palate. 

 When the customers place the order digitally, not only does it make the ordering process faster but also reduces manual error and avoids miscommunication. This helps you elevate the diner’s experience at your restaurant. 

  • Improved Aesthetics

Food is the most instagrammable article and the most shared item on social media. We can’t help but agree that food looks more visually appealing in digital photos and images can be edited using different tools as well. 

The digital menu gives you the ability to upload and change images as per your needs. It also provides the diners with a sneak peek into how appetizing the food at your restaurant is going to be.

  • Easy access to Customer Data

When the diners scan the QR code and open the menu on their phones, the system records their credentials. Customer data, the most beneficial commodity, helps you understand their behaviour and create personalised offers and dining experience based on their preferences.

  • Provides creative space 

 Digital mediums have the ability to offer more creative freedom. You can play with the content and add interesting insights. It gives you the option to highlight interesting insights on the food that is served. We have a growing market of health-conscious consumers. You can tap into such niche markets and curate a menu that is more appealing to them. You can also intrigue them by sharing the source of the products associated with the dish. 

By designing smart marketing strategies, you can create a digital menu for your restaurant that can help you bring greater business to your restaurant. This new-age technology has been a game-changer for restaurants that have adopted it and is going to be the next hot selling item in the industry. 

Make a smarter choice for your restaurant. Switch to a digital menu today.