As we say goodbye to the year 2020, we know how much you want to leave this year behind and bury the troubles it came with. At the same time, we cannot deny the fact that all of us found our glory in these darkest times and experienced our own little victories. So here we are to celebrate restaurants like you, which remained a favourite among the diners and provided the most tantalizing dining experience.
Your diner first approach makes us keep you forward every time we think of top dining services across India. As your long-standing restaurant technology partner, we are here again with the inresto Superstar initiative to acknowledge the efforts & outstanding services you deliver to your beloved diners.
What is ‘inresto Superstar’?
A monthly initiative to identify and recognise the phenomenal dining experience provided by restaurants using inresto’s product suite. It is an effort to celebrate the marvellous spirit of restaurants across the country!
Restaurants spread laughter, moments of joy and create lifetime memories for millions of people. It takes a dedicated staff along with the right technology to streamline all the restaurant operations smoothly. We are here to celebrate a few of such incredible restaurants & applaud their efforts with inresto Superstar.
Raising a toast for all the winners of December 2020! Check out the superstars of Dec 2020 –
PizzaExpress, Delhi
Well known for its Pizzas, this restaurant chain serves its speciality in authentic Italian style. The American style ambience makes the quick service restaurant an instant attraction among youngsters. It offers a variety of flavour of pizzas, and the overall dining experience is value for money.
The restaurant was able to increase the number of diners by 85% and reached a net NPS score of 4.3/5 with the help of inresto product suite.
The Caravan Menu, Mumbai
This Barbeque restaurant at Thane offers a variety of barbeque and live grill on the table. The extensive spread of the main course and drinks from across the globe that has never been seen before.
The Caravan Menu has managed to increase their feedback intake by 97%.
The Greenhouse Barbecue, Chennai
Started with the idea of giving wholesome vegetarian food with fresh produce & pure ingredients, this restaurant is creating waves and innovating vegetarian cuisine like never before.
This restaurant increased its feedback intake by 100% and reached a positive NSP of 4.3/5.
China Bistro, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
This restaurant is Hyderabad’s hub for the best Pan-Asian delicacies. Along with an elaborate Chinese menu, they serve dishes from the kitchens of Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. The expansive bar menu with classic mocktails, cocktails, and a range of alcoholic beverages is the cherry on the cake. The restaurant’s promise to deliver a refined culinary experience, without breaking the bank, in an exquisite locale completely designed to give the feel of an oriental bistro.
This restaurant proved to be the true superstar by reaching an NSP score of a whopping 4.9.
Dhaba Estd 1986 Delhi | Bangalore
Dhaba Estd 1986 Delhi is a place to experience the real Dhaba style food- with plenty of Spices & a rich aroma. The restaurant provides a fine quality of food & services. The low on the pocket menu is in line with people of varied tastes and preferences and takes you on a flavorful ride.
The reservation rate at Dhaba Estd 1986 Delhi, Bangalore, increased by 90% and the diner base increased by 95%.
Sonar Tori, Kolkata
This Casual Dining restaurant successfully delivers in satiating cravings for authentic Bengali cuisines. The premium menu offers a wide range of Bengali delicacies to choose from. The magnificent ambience that you get under one roof and the dreamy outdoor seating ensure a memorable experience for the diners. The staff is extremely helpful and courteous.
They managed to increase their feedback intake by 93%, which led to a positive NSP of 4.3.
A big congratulations to all the superstars! We are happy to have helped you raise your revenue, increase productivity, and improve efficiency. We wish you continued success and the new year full of happy diners. 🙂
Keep reaching your restaurant business goals and continue to raise the bar for fellow restaurateurs with each passing year.
There are several responsibilities and challenges involved in day-to-day restaurant operations such as employee tips, employee scheduling, back-of-the-house management, front-of-the-house management, and ownership duties. These activities have a tendency to pile up in no time. Hence, deployment of a cloud-based restaurant management software will do wonders for you, especially as a restaurateur.
Apart from simply effective time management, cloud-based restaurant management systems offer several other benefits which their conventional counterparts do not. Here’s why you must consider moving your restaurant management to the cloud POS:
1. Ease of Access
With cloud computing technology, you can access your restaurant’s data anytime, anywhere. All you require is a computer or smartphone with an internet connection and login.
2. No Hefty Upfront Cost
It is extremely affordable which does not necessitate any expensive or lengthy contract unlike on-premise restaurant management systems.
3. Flexible Payment Terms
Your restaurant’s cashflow should no longer be a concern as most cloud-based software comes with flexible payment options such as annual and monthly contracts.
4. Automatic Updates
All infrastructure improvements and latest features are automatically updated to your system through the cloud. Moreover, you have the flexibility to discontinue some of the features that you no longer need.
Integrate Your Restaurant’s POS System with Cloud
Most restaurants start with a point-of-sale (POS) system to leverage cloud-based restaurant management software. Cloud-based POS system stores recipe details, inventory data, sales and billing information, and customer information. Moreover, with cloud-based restaurant POS system such as one offered by inresto, you don’t have to worry about your system crashing and losing all your valuable data. Cloud-based restaurant management systems allow remote handling of operations as well.
Enhanced Data Security
Shifting to a cloud-based restaurant management software will save huge costs that are associated with maintenance and complex hardware installations of a conventional system. Not to mention, it is far more secure than the traditional POS systems. It’s harder to infiltrate the cloud-based system which is equipped with preventive controls, deterrent controls, two-factor authentication, and sophisticated security controls. These features are not available in an internal server or your personal computer.
Each and every ingredient that is present in your inventory can be easily tracked using a cloud-based system. This way you can ensure a continuous follow-up of all the items. The system even sends a low-stock alert by email whenever an item is running slower than the limit set by you. In addition, restocking the inventory has become quite convenient as the cloud-based system notifies when a certain item has been purchased or reordered. There is no chance of overstocking of any ingredient as well, thanks to the inventory tracking feature of the system.
All-in-one Cloud-Based Restaurant Management System
Several features are offered by an all-in-one cloud-based restaurant management software including inventory tracking, employee timesheets, CRM integration, POS system, easy menu setup, managing loyalty programs, technical support, and detailed reporting. inResto SCM system is one such solution that can help you attain all your goals easily.
One does not need to be technically sound to utilize the cloud-based software. Make sure you choose a service which is user-friendly and has an easy interface!
The fact that the world is at your fingertips is now a reality. India’s food industry underwent a revolution when food aggregators commenced their services about a decade ago. The industry has never looked back; it has instead evolved & upped its game since then. Restaurants found a new revenue source through these online channels.
The world of the internet is vast, and making optimum use of it can be challenging for most restaurateurs. It’s no rocket science that food aggregator apps facilitate large numbers of orders but with gigantic commissions. What is the best way out? The key to making your mark and being found by your customers is through the right channels and the right partners. In today’s era, having a physical presence means nothing if you cannot be found digitally. In this race, people often get lost in choosing the right address for their location, and some even forget to have an address. It’s like inviting people over but having no place of your own.
inresto, through its latest integration with Google, is helping restaurants be searched by their customers and even take direct orders. inresto Online Order enables restaurants to own their website and manage orders for takeaway & delivery. The cherry on the cake is that restaurateurs have total ownership of their customer data, which they can optimize to market various offers on different occasions. Not just that, we take it up a notch with our integration with Instagram and Facebook, where restaurants can generate orders through their social media accounts as well.
How does Google integration work?
Simply have your website made with inresto Online Order, and we will help redirect customers to the site once they search your name on Google.
If you have any third-party aggregator integration, our association with Google will allow your customers to place orders through these platforms as well.
Your customers can even search and place orders through social media channels like Instagram and Facebook.
Getting in-app bookings through Dineout is an added bonus.
To further aid this process, inresto provides end-to-end tech support and facilitates the last mile delivery through Dunzo, Shadowfax, and Delhivery for its restaurant partners.
By now, we have established the importance and smartest way of having an online presence. But managing these orders from multiple platforms can be a tedious task. With so many integrations, there are chances of orders being messed up or, worst, missed. For example, each aggregator platform requires the menu to be updated separately. Also, every order coming in from a different source needs to be entered manually in the POS to generate Kitchen Order Ticket (KOT).
How inresto POS helps in managing online orders?
Manage all the orders from different channels on one platform, i.e., inresto POS.
Update and manage menu for separate channels from one platform.
Easily track & record billing and real-time payment status.
Once your customers can find you through Google search and social media channels, there’s no stopping you. The orders will come pouring in. Fret not; our inresto POS will further help you in managing these orders and other operational tasks. All in all, we’ve got you covered.
This is the time to shed the basic decor and glam up your restaurant to celebrate the best season of the year. Apart from serving hot and delectable dishes, most of your customers look forward to this month of the year to dress up, step out with their friends and family and enjoy the holiday season.
So, don’t hold back. Dive deep into the list of inspirational restaurants who always have their A-game with respect to Christmas decor.
Diggin is Delhi’s favourite spot for Christmas for a reason. As you enter the gates of the restaurant, it is a walk through wonderland.
Here are some awesome things they do during Christmas you could take inspiration from-
They go all out with fairy lights and Christmas bells, wreaths and red-green decor.
The planters at the outdoor seating area add to the feel and make this place every Delhite’s perfect spot for Christmas. They make the perfect use of the spot and trees to hang fairy lights, Christmas bells, and just make the area lit.
Hang Christmas Wreaths on the doors of your restaurant, for the merry feels.
While you are at it don’t forget to go all out because Christmas is all about doing a little extra.
2. Soho Bistro & Café
Champa Gali is the cutest and the prettiest gali you would find in Delhi. It is always lit with wall art, and quirky decor all year long. During Christmas, the cafes and restaurants there make sure this gali looks as Christmassy as possible, with mandatory Christmas trees and Santa caps.
Apart from that, Soho has great mulled wine, amazing pasta & a soothing playlist to set the mood. All this makes the setting quite romantic. The outdoor seating is completely covered in lights and decorations with greenery around & lights above your head.
3. Olive Bar & Kitchen
You would find the pleasure of dining at this restaurant in Mumbai as well as in Delhi. Green trees wrapped with fairy lights is their consistent decor setup. What makes this cafe perfect for a Christmas month outing is their mulled wine. It is one of the best you would find in both cities.
4. Cafe Wink
This so-called mini version of Diggin cafe in east Delhi is a show stealer during Christmas. The holiday mood is set with warm lights, fairy light decor, cute Christmas decor hangings. The milkshakes & the pizzas are a big hit and what makes it even interesting is that it remains open till midnight.
So, what are you waiting for? You have very little time and frankly, a lot to accomplish. Put on your Santa hat and get your elves to work. Hurry up. Hang the mistletoe and let the world know that you are ready to spread some Christmas cheer.
Before the onset of India’s festive season, Deloitte 90 day market report showed how consumers were gearing up for the season. The survey also highlighted how 47% of its respondents were okay with eating out in restaurants. And boy, did it come true.
Footfall in premium malls housing retail stores, restaurants, and food courts witnessed 90% of pre-Covid levels. F&B has reached around 70% of previous levels and is expected to grow faster during the Christmas season. Cause it’s the time when people want to step outside, marvel at different kinds of decorations, gorge on delicious food and chat away with their family & friends. But there are certain kind of restaurants that are gaining preference over others. These are the ones who are tech-enabled.
So how can our gifts in the form of technology help a restaurant business capitalize on the customer’s renewed joy of dining out and help boost revenue?
Here is how!
1. Don’t hold back on the decor
People have been bored to death watching the same skyline from their windows and staring at the same walls when not binging on shows. So give their senses a treat to remember. This year go beyond the traditional decor and bring in the element of spice & creativity. And don’t let the social distancing rules damper your Christmas spirit.
Let your customers book their favourite spot well in advance. So they can avoid any unnecessary queue at the entrance, your restaurant can adhere to the social distancing rules. inresto’s Guest & Reserve lets you make the most of your limited seating arrangement, increase table turnaround time and avoid overcrowding all at the same time. Yes, you no longer have to choose capacity management over profitability!
2. Build a special menu
No one holds back from gorging during this holiday season. Once a year, the dieting rules take a gracious exit, and in comes the inner child who wants to make every meal count. So turn away from calorie counting, bring in your best chefs and curate a dining experience seen like never before.
And you don’t need to go back to the drawing board, design a new menu and run after vendors for printing. All of that and more is now possible within hours due to inresto’s Digital Menu that helps you add and remove items on the go, and also implement dynamic pricing that helps you maximize your profits. Additionally, it also helps remove a high touch element like a paperback menu and ensures the safety of both your customers and your employees.
3. Create gifting packages
Since people saw their dear ones much less this year, they are more likely to send them gifts to mark their togetherness. Create customizable gifting packages that can travel the distance. Let your customers buy it off the counter or, better yet, make them available for online ordering for better accessibility. This will give your revenue a much-needed boost.
Your customers are constantly scrolling through Instagram, gazing at beautiful images. Upload a beautiful staged image of your dishes or gifting packages on Instagram and get direct orders. Similarly, Facebook order widget activation can be leveraged to redirect your customers to your website and place an order. You can also enable WhatsApp Integration and let your phone buzz with incoming orders.
4. Let them participate
This year everyone faced work-related fatigue and vented out in their kitchen, indulging in the art of cooking. Why not give their new interest a professional nudge? On days when business is slow and dining space is likely to be less occupied, a Chef’s special cooking class that boasts of trading kitchen secrets will prove profitable. You can connect with your customers through an email campaign and gauge their interest.
It will help build a close relationship with your customers, who will reshare their experience on social media. This will give the business free publicity and more incoming customers.
With 2020 is on its last leg, people are looking for avenues to release their pent-up need for extravagance and make up for all the celebrations they missed out on in the early part of this year. So gear up well in time, make the most of inresto’s well packaged Contactless Dining suite as the Christmas present to you, draw up a plan to reconnect, rebuild and rejoice this Christmas season.
To be prepared is half the battle won. The restaurant industry picked up its pace with resilience and adapting to technology in 2020. Now, 2021 is the year everyone is looking forward to with new hopes and dreams. And the right direction and glimpse into the future can help restaurants prepare and adapt to cater to the latest consumer trends.
inresto unveils the series of business & future trends that are set to dominate the industry in the coming years. These trends result from an analysis of more than 15000 restaurants using inresto’s Contactless Dining suite of products.
In 2020 we have seen it all. The Grinches of 2020 made their best effort to steal the joy and positive spirit of us humans but little did they know we could outwit them and come out stronger.
This is an account of ‘The Grinches of 2020’ in the restaurant industry and ‘The Christmas Miracles’ that followed.
Grinch 1: No Online Presence
This Grinch could win ‘The most powerful Grinch’ award in 2020 when it comes to affecting businesses across the world.
Living in the digital age of 2020 without having an online presence for your brand is undoubtedly something that stole the joy of serving your diners.
For any brand, an online presence was more than important in 2020 due to people’s lack of physical presence in public places. Millions of us spent our lockdown days on the internet ordering food & on social media planning our future restaurant visits.
inresto Online Order was the Christmas miracle that saved food businesses from this Grinch.
This technology solution can build websites, IOS, and Android apps for your brand.
It also enables an ‘order now’ widget on your Facebook and Instagram pages so that your diners can place the orders directly.
How does inresto Online Order help restaurants get rid of the Grinch of ‘No Online Presence’?
Increases brand visibility & reach: By building a brilliant web presence, you can reach a wider audience set, acquire more customers & increase incoming orders. You can personalise your website & app to suit your restaurant’s needs & make your online presence noteworthy.
No aggregator commission- With your online ordering platforms, you can eliminate promotion costs & total reliability on a third-party aggregator. Orders can be taken directly from the website and from your restaurant’s social media pages, which will help in customer data ownership.
Customer engagement: Get your customers’ attention through real-time push notifications, personalised offers & engaging banner ads on your website & app.
Integrated Digital Menu: When your diners click on the ‘order now’ widget on your social media page or website, a digital menu enabled by inresto pops open, and your diners can browse their options & place their orders.
Does this happen to you that you create offers specially for your diners at your restaurant, but those diners don’t show up to avail them? What a waste, right?
This Grinch – the struggle to communicate your offers through the right channels, was always upon restaurants, but the pandemic made him more visible.
It’s not that your diners have stopped loving you, or they have found some other restaurants. Definitely NOT.
They are still fond of you, but they are unaware. The Grinch of ‘Low diner connect’ keeps your restaurant at a blind spot for them until ‘The Christmas Miracle’ of ‘inresto campaign module’ makes an entry.
What is inresto campaign module?
inresto campaign module allows you to send the right communication to your target audience via SMS and emails. This way, you can engage, interact, and retain your diners to increase the footfall.
How does the inresto campaign module help restaurants get rid of the Grinch of low diner connect?
1.Inform your audience what they desire: Anything new happening at your restaurant must reach your diners’ ears. After all, they are the consumers of all the excellent services you’ve got to offer.
A new gig? New Christmas special menu? Ladies night? BOGO? Your diners must be informed, and running SMS and email campaigns is an effective way to do so.
2. Filter out customer data: One of the main USP of inresto campaign module is the RFM feature (Recency, Frequency and Monetary Behaviour). You can easily filter your diner data based on their behaviour to re-engage with them and also to regulate your marketing spends.
3. Do targeted marketing: Identify your target audience and define the right communication channel for them. The inresto campaign management software helps you curate various groups based on demographics, visits, spending, etc., and set-up personalised campaigns for each group. This way, you can make sure the right communication reaches the right audience.
4. Monitor the impact: It gives you real-time campaign analytics and helps you understand each campaign’s effectiveness. This way, you can judge what works for your diners.
5. Automate your communication: You can automate your campaigns and schedule them based on special occasions, festivals, etc.
This Grinch makes an entry after your diners had a happy and fulfilling dining experience and are out and about to leave. It seems like it doesn’t like to see your diners go home satisfied with your dining services.
It keeps them waiting for their car for a long time. The diners’ happiness curve starts going down, and it doesn’t make the restaurants any happier.
But hey! Things are not the same since the Christmas Miracle of digital valet happened.
What is Digital Valet?
inresto valet allows restaurants to manage all their valet operations through one tab. It cuts short the time spent by the diners at community areas to curb the spread of infection. Each valet is notified about the diner’s dining status & can bring in the vehicles on time.
How does Digital Valet help restaurants get rid of the Grinch of waiting for cars?
1. Real-time tracking: Digital valet helps you track parking capacity in real-time to utilize parking lots & valet drivers effectively. It reduces the diners’ wait time by giving real-time status alerts to exit only when the car has arrived.
2. Valet utilisation: Digital valet helps you achieve a 30% reduction in drivers by optimising daily valet utilisation. It provides a smooth service by assigning a driver instantly through the inresto valet app. You can measure the impact over time, including utilisation & efficiency, by daily/hourly or weekly tracking. Accordingly, you can also devise valet incentives easily & keep track of operations with timely & accurate reports.
3. Secure valet service: Since the entire valet process takes place digitally, every vehicle’s security is ensured. It is a systematic valet process, based on digital tokens, sent directly to the customer’s phone. Therefore there is no risk of fraud.
The Grinch 4: Paper Menu
Paper Menu was never always ‘The Grinch’ of our lives until 2020. We loved hanging around it at restaurants in pre-COVID time. Soon it got into the wrong company and became the potential carrier of germs and viruses.
Diners and the restaurant staff were worried and became paranoid about touching any physical menu at restaurants. We knew technology was the most significant boon but didn’t think it could help eliminate this Grinch.
inresto’s DineIn software was the ultimate saviour and ‘The Christmas miracle’ for every restaurant out there in 2020.
What is inresto DineIn?
A digital menu software allows the diners to place their food orders directly from their phone by scanning a QR code.
Your diners can scan the QR code placed at their tables using their phone camera or simply visit scan.qr.in. After selecting all the order items, the diners make online payments through digital wallets like Dineout pay.
How inresto DineIn helps the restaurant industry get rid of the ‘Paper Menu’ Grinch?
1. Eliminates high touch elements: A digital menu eliminates high touch elements like the paper menu and cash payment in the entire process of order placing. This way, there is less contact between the staff and customers, thereby decreasing the risk of germs transfer.
2. Cross-selling and Up-selling made simple: The digital menu recommends 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 as per your diners’ preferences.
3. Reduces wait time for diners- The diners don’t have to wait for any waiter to visit them to take their orders; instead, they can directly order from their phones at their own pace. This saves them a lot of time. During the process, they can highlight any special requests.
4. Eliminates extra cost: Every time you wish to alter your menu, like adding a new combo, eliminating a seasonal dish that is no longer available, you do not need to get a new menu printed. In a digital menu, you can make the alterations any time you want.
This Grinch is usually spotted outside restaurants ruining the happy times for diners & loves to keep them away from their food until they are hangry. It shows its best work during rush hours and festivities. In 2020 we surely despised it more than ever because of the growing need & importance of social distancing.
Slowly people started withdrawing from dining out & the restaurants started losing revenue 🙁
It indeed was a difficult time for the restaurant industry, but as we know you, it’s always darkest before the dawn.
Soon ‘The Christmas Miracle’ happened, and inresto came to the rescue with restaurant technology – inresto Guest & Reserve that took over the restaurant industry. Table management became so easy for restaurants that ‘The Grinch’ could no longer hold the diners back in queues.
Restaurant technology that allows restaurants to simplify the reservation process & maximise the table turnaround efficiency.
How inresto Guest & Reserve helps the restaurant industry get rid of the ‘waiting in queues’ Grinch?
1. Reservations & Table management simplified: All the reservations reflect on a single inresto dashboard, and you can assign them tables according to their preferred time slots. The dashboard gives you a clear picture of the available tables for the walk-in customers so that you can serve them equally well.
2. Notifies the diners of their exact table time: As we know from customer behaviour that they would prefer to spend their time buying Christmas gifts from a nearby shop rather than standing in a queue. By notifying the diner of their wait time and queue status, we wish to achieve exactly that.
3. Captures customer data: While checking in, your diners have to enter their contact details on a tab at the entry and get a table. During the process, the data is captured and saved at the backend.
4. Data-driven management: You can map the types of customers that visit you, for, e.g., the ones who visit you very often(regular), the ones who visit less often but are generous in their spending behaviour, etc., and prioritise tables accordingly.
“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality” – Washington Irving
Christmas is around the corner & restaurants across India have put on their Santa hats & are getting ready to make evening dinners and breezy brunches hospitable.
We have got you some secret Santa tips to steal all the attention this year! Are you ready to be the shining star? Read on!
1. Revamp the Restaurant Decorate
You cannot go without setting up a Christmas tree & lighting it up with fairy lights and cute Christmas ornaments.
Along with that, don’t miss out on the entrance. Put a wreath on the door and hanging stars to create the vibe. And let the lovers kiss goodbye after the happy meal.
To amp up the vibe, set up a Christmas themed live gig, fun food challenges, and/or karaoke.
Don’t forget to click pictures and upload them on social media. People should know what they are missing out on!
2. Create a Special Christmas Menu
Dining out in December cannot happen without having a taste of to-die-for Christmas-themed dishes. Rum & plum cakes, mulled wine, gingerbread cookies, & more is a must-have.
A Digital Menu, everyone’s favourite this year, makes it easier for you to cross-sell and up-sell your special items. It also saves you the printing hassle and cost.
While you create a special Christmas menu, don’t forget to update your website & social media with these latest additions & ongoing offers!
In addition, curate Christmas Special food hampers:
With a combination of Dry cakes, Christmas tree-shaped cookies, hot chocolate mix, and wine bottles, you can curate food hampers which your diners can gift their loved ones on Christmas. You can also add small gifts to it.
If you think you don’t have enough time and resources to get the packaging and set up in place, you can simply sell dry cakes, cookie boxes, hot chocolate mix for takeaway. It’s not Christmassy enough until we have Christmas cakes for the entire month.
3. Offers & Discounts
A little hatke offers, combos, and BOGO deals would surely make your diners feel that you are their secret Santa in disguise.
The regular discount offers and BOGOs are boring. Keep the festive spirit up by introducing these interesting, crowd-pleasing offers-
1. Red & Green Food combo:
Red velvet cupcakes + green mojito
Green Pizza + Raspberry iced tea
Pesto pasta + red wine
Get your creative minds and chefs’ skills in the right direction to create these super cute combos for your diners.
If your restaurant’s decor is red and green in theme or red and white, these food dishes, when on the table, will add to the overall vibe and amp up the Christmas spirit!
2. 50% off on Christmas themed drinks
3. Free Christmas themed cookies for anyone who comes wearing a Santa hat.
4. Christmas cake discount vouchers:
Diners who come for lunch or dinner at your restaurant get these Christmas cake vouchers, which they can use on takeaway Christmas cakes or cookies.
5. A Christmas themed cookie FREE on every hot chocolate purchase.
You can partner with Dineout and delight your diners with the most loved deals and enjoy the non-stop love showered by them.
4. Gift cards, Giveaways & Loyalty points
Gift cards are the new gifting trend. Anyone prefers to gift their friends choice with a little personalized thought behind it. Anyone who loves to dine out (who doesn’t, right?) would love to be gifted restaurant gift cards.
These can be in cute Christmas themed design to keep up with the festivities.
Loyalty Programs are a great way to encourage your diners to visit your restaurant again. You can create these programs customized to each diner’s needs with the help of digital technology software like inresto customer loyalty program.
Giveaways are the rage on social media. Since we are living in the age of social media, there cannot be a better way to get mileage for your restaurant than Giveaways on social media.
Organise a contest, and 3 winners can win gift cards, food hampers, or discount vouchers for Christmas and New Year of your restaurant.
5. Charity Programs
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by helping the underprivileged.
You can do your part in the following ways-
Donate the leftover food
Create a donation campaign on social media: You can ask your followers to post a picture of them at the restaurant enjoying a Christmas meal, and with each story/post they do, you feed one child a meal.
You can sell small Christmas gifts, the entire revenue from which goes to an NGO, or you can dedicate a percentage of revenue from the food hampers and takeaway goodies for charity.
Campaigns like these really encourage people to be attached to your brand for a good cause.
Hope these ideas make your Christmas merrier and give your restaurant a great kick start in 2021!
As we enter the second week of Dec, and it gets colder, all we seek is comfort food- barbecues and hot chocolate. Your diners are ready to savour these much-awaited winter specials at your restaurants. Are you ready to serve them what they desire? If not, we are here to help you with some simple dishes your menu must-have in the winters of 2020
Here’s a closer look into a menu featuring seasonal veggies, sizzling hot barbecues, and holiday flavours that is a must at your restaurant to ignite the festive spirit and keep your diners satisfied with all the comfort food.
1. Sizzling Barbecue Platter
Bonfire, sizzling hot barbecues, and a drink, that’s how anyone’s ideal winter night looks like! The heartwarming and fulfilling vibe to it has always made ‘barbecue concept’ restaurants the top choice for family gatherings.
The trend for spicy, tasty and affordable foods within the “unlimited” buffet concept has gained popularity in the past few years. If you own a cafe or a restaurant that doesn’t serve buffet, barbecue dishes can still make a cut in your menu and be the centre of attraction this season!
Barbecues are not just about meat. There are plenty of options for vegetarians too. Potatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, pineapple, baby corn are great on the grill.
This is what’s gonna create the perfect winter vibe at your restaurant and keep the guests coming back for more.
2. Sarson ka Saag
In most parts of north India, people eagerly wait for the winter season to arrive to finally have a taste of the ever amazing Sarson ka saag with Makki ki roti. This sizzling hot dish cooked and simmered for hours and served with a lot of love in the form of ghee is every Punjabi’s first love. Family lunches and grand dinners in winters are incomplete without this delicacy.
3. Fried Fish
Another one of the perfect dishes for breezy winter afternoons and chilly winter nights is fried fish. It can be in the form of Fish fritters, Amritsari fish, or crispy fish nuggets. One can binge on for days and not get bored.
4. Gajar ka Halwa
When it comes to desserts, your diners wouldn’t like to go home without relishing the king of desserts in winters, that is GAJAR KA HALWA. Give your diners the taste of this desi delight which can put cheesecakes and ice creams on a hold. It is the best cure for everyone’s sugar cravings in winters.
5. Rum Cakes
We saved the best for the last! If you own a bakery or cafe, this dish is a mandatory addition to your menu. The spirit of Christmas and New Years’ is incomplete without rum cakes. These are a favourite takeaway option among the diners this season!
So wait no more. The time is now to make these additions to your restaurant menu and watch love brew between family and friends while they cherish the irresistible food!
Looking to act on your ambitions and start your own food business? In India, the first step in launching your own food-related enterprise is getting it officially registered under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Better known as FSSAI, it is a government organization that supervises and controls all Indian food-related enterprises. Formed as an autonomous entity by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, it is tasked with the following:
Getting Indian Food Business Operators (FBOs) officially registered and licensed for business
Establishing rules regarding the monitoring and functions of Indian food enterprises, known as FSSAI guidelines.
FSSAI registration is essential for your business
Irrespective of specific business operations and vision, every FBO that produces, refines, stores, distributes, and sells culinary products is required to apply and get an FSSAI license or registration, depending on the magnitude and scope of business.
The products of a licensed food business will contain a 14-digit license or registration number, which provides information like the producer’s permit and the state responsible for assembly.
As a move to hold FBOs more liable for the quality of products and existing rules of production and distribution, the licensing and registration processes are decided by the Food Safety & Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011.
The process of obtaining an FFSAI license online is simple. Given below are the related FSSAI guidelines:
File an application;
Obtain a unique application reference number
Complete the application and get a unique application ID
Your premises will be inspected after the application and issue inspection report has been received
Thereafter, your license will be granted if all the formalities are completed within 60 days.
If any step is delayed due to lack of response or inspection or inspection report evaluation, then the concerned FBO may commence business after 60 days.
FSSAI requirements: what you need to register
For all small-scale FBOs, getting a basic FSSAI registration is enough. This type of registration is meant for the following enterprises:
An FBO whose annual turnover is less than INR 12 lakh.
Small-time food product retailers
An individual who produces and/or sells food products herself/himself;
Temporary stall owners who sell food items
Any party that offer food items in social or religious events, barring caterers;
Small-scale/cottage industries involved in the food industry
FSSAI registration process
The full FSSAI registration process is given below:
First, you initiate the registration by submitting Form A (application) to the Food and Safety Department.
The Department can deliberate whether to accept or reject your application up to a week since the day they received the same; if rejected, you will be informed in writing.
Upon accepting your application, the Department will send a registration certificate containing a registration number and your photograph.
You must display the registration certificate in the office during working hours.
For basic, state, as well as central licenses, you need to disclose some common documents: a photo ID proof and passport photograph. Additionally, to obtain a central or a state license, you must submit the following:
Address proof
List of equipment
List of product categories
Operation layout
NOC from concerned municipal authority
Incorporation certificate
Full list of directors and partners
MOA and AOA
Water test report
Import Export Code
FSSAI requirement: how to obtain an FSSAI license
In case your business does not fall in the small-scale business category, then you must obtain an FSSAI license before commencing operations. This license is given in two forms: state license and central license, according to whether you have a medium- or large-scale business, respectively.
Large-scale FBOs are huge manufacturers, exporters, or importers with capital-intensive operations. They must apply for a central government license. On the other hand, small- and medium-scale FBOs such as distributors, traders, small-scale manufacturers etc. must obtain an FSSAI license from the state government under whose jurisdiction their businesses fall (annual turnover between INR 12 lakh-20 crore).
There are a few additional conditions that warrant a state FSSAI license for your business:
Manufacturing units with a total capacity of 2MT per day;
Dairy enterprises regulating to 50000L per day;
Three-star (and above) hotels;
Repacking units;
Relabelling companies;
Clubs;
Caterers.
A state FSSAI license is valid for at least one year and at most five years.
In case your business’ annual turnover exceeds INR 20 crores and you possess operational units in two or more Indian states, you will require a central government FSSAI license to operate. Every exporter and importer must obtain a central license, whose tenure is the same as the state FSSAI license.
Central License: Requisite Documents
Here are the documents you need to submit along with your application for a central FSSAI license:
A fully filled and attested Form B;
A detailed plan of your processing unit, containing exact dimensions and classifications of operational areas;
A concrete list of directors, business partners, and proprietor (containing their photo ID proof, addresses, and contact information);
A thorough list containing the names of all equipment used, their number, and their installed capacities;
A food category list;
Authority letter from the manufacturer, along with the name and address of the nominee;
The analysis report of water required for production, to verify whether it is portable;
Document revealing the source of inventory;
A comprehensive recall plan (as necessary);
Certification from the Ministry of Commerce (for 100% EOU);
NOC/PA document (provided by FSSAI);
IE code document (given by DGFT);
Form IX;
Ministry of Tourism certificate;
Document displaying proof of premises possession;
Proprietorship affidavit/ deed of partnership;
NOC, along with a copy of the specific license obtained from the manufacturer;
Food safety management system plan/ associated certificate;
NOC from the concerned municipality or similar local authority;
Supporting document showing proof of turnover and distribution/transportation;
A declaration form.
State License: Required Documents
A fully filled and attested Form B;
A detailed plan of your processing unit, containing exact dimensions and classifications of operational areas;
Concrete list of directors, business partners, and proprietor (containing their photo ID proof, addresses, and contact information);
A thorough list containing the names of all equipment used, their number, and their installed capacities;
A food category list;
Authority letter from manufacturer, along with the name and address of the nominee;
Analysis report of water required for production, to verify whether it is portable;
Document displaying proof of premises possession;
Proprietorship affidavit/ deed of partnership;
NOC, along with a copy of the specific license obtained from the manufacturer;
A copy of requisite certificate collected under the Coop Act 1861 or the Multi state Coop Act 2002;
A solid plan regarding food safety management and a related certificate.
Why is an FSSAI license beneficial?
In a nutshell, an FSSAI license online enables your FBO to get legal benefits, garner respect and renown, maintain food hygiene and safety, improve customer awareness, and drive business growth. Furthermore, it allows you to control, produce, store, distribute and sell imported food products.
FSSAI rules: How to renew FSSAI license
The FSSAI rules on mandatory license renewal are clear. To resume your food business, you must renew your FSSAI license. To streamline the renewal process, FSSAI has even come up with an online license application system (Food Licensing and Registration System, FLRS). FLRS is available in five Regional Offices:
Northern Region (New Delhi)
Eastern Region (Kolkata)
North Eastern Region (Guwahati)
Western Region (Kerala and Mumbai)
Southern Region (Chennai)
In summary, this article presents a detailed account of the guidelines, rules, and procedures of online FSSAI registration for FBOs. If you are thinking about starting your own food business venture, don’t hesitate to get it officially registered before it’s up and running. All the best!
