The extended lockdown had deeply impacted the restaurant industry. Some restaurants with only dining facilities are revamping their business model and trying to adapt to contactless delivery. Restaurants with delivery already in place are trying to ramp up their sales. To shed light on this subject and breakdown strategies for Dineout has launched Instagram Live Hours, hosted by Sahil Jain, Co-founder of Dineout.
We bring you our in-depth conversation with Mr Sagar Daryani, Co-founder & CEO – WOW momo.
The session started with how restaurants can sustain their scale of food production and what measures they can take to ensure a safe dining experience post lockdown. While the industry still waits for the Government Aid to come through, it needs to work in partnership with various stakeholders to prepare for the post COVID world.
So, how does a restaurant prepare for the future, ensure quality control?
- Hygiene will be King
There will be no better day than today to pay close attention to hygiene practices at restaurants. Any lack of hygiene will be a deal-breaker for a diner. A hand sanitiser will be omnipresent. Constant hygiene surveillance at the restaurants as well as inside the kitchen will set apart establishments. There will be a robust system in place to keep a tab on the cleanliness of restaurants, and the industry will move towards verified certification.
The government has already launched the Arogya app. A similar move can be expected for various industries. Transparency in the hygiene process on an individual as well as business level will be the new norm. The dining set up will need to adhere to the 6 feet distance rule to operate safely.
- Adapt to the evolving business model
It is crucial to recognise opportunities in the midst of what the world has termed as an unprecedented crisis. Right now, the word contactless is creating a lot of buzz. It is essential to understand the nuances that are involved in delivering a contactless experience. A dining only restaurant will witness a rise in the takeaway category. Even though diners have started cooking, they soon will crave for restaurant-quality food. It will be crucial to nurture relationship diners, reassure them and provide safe food. Restaurants with dining outlets might open cloud kitchens for areas with demand for only delivery.
Restaurants with multiple outlets need to reevaluate their operational strategy. Cutting corners of establishments which are not profitable will save capital. Out of sight is out of mind. Restaurants will need to strive to adapt to the evolving business environment and diner needs and prepare accordingly.
- Technology will be the saviour
Technology will play a key role in how businesses shape over the next couple of months. Early adopters will have an edge. Restaurants will have to automate various touchpoints and remove unnecessary human interactions. Proper inventory management tools will help reduce waste. It will help track goods in storage and menu items that are popular. Restaurants will need to identify and promote the most popular dishes and increase order value.
Digital menu, payment wallets will be popular amongst wary diners. In the next 6-8 months most establishments will adapt to this, and it will lead to habit formation amongst people. DineIn by Dineout, will let diners place orders directly from their phones using a QR code. Similarly, digital payments like DOPay will remove the need for diners to exchange physical currency. Table management will be crucial to maintain physical distancing. Dineout’s Reserve will simplify and automate this process with the least human intervention. For such solutions and more, click here – https://inresto.com/contact.html
- Partner with stakeholders
The restaurant industry works with various stakeholders. At his point in time, this crisis has hit all stakeholders. Everyone is fighting the same enemy and trying to overcome the situation. To successfully get through this, each of these stakeholders will need to be transparent and work in tandem with one another. Most nonoperational restaurants are paying salaries and won’t be able to pay rent. In such a scenario, a revenue-sharing model will help both the landlord and restaurant survive. Restaurants need to reestablish their relationship with vendors and ensure quality assurance.
Restaurants will need to build a strong association with aggregators and reach out to their diners. All the stakeholders will need to focus their energy on their area of expertise and work in a synchronised manner. It is important to recognise that each one of us, individually and collectively, is faced with a challenge to adapt and evolve. Restaurants will need to sacrifice on many fronts like covers, expansive menus and recipes. Innovation and technology is the only way forward. Educating diners of the safety measures, introducing hygiene etiquettes will be equally important.
Social media trends show diners getting more involved in their kitchens. But the other half of the picture is that diners will soon be bored with home-cooked food. That will be the window of opportunity for restaurants. To prepare the restaurant industry for the road ahead of us, Dineout has come up with the concept of Contactless Dining in the post COVID Era. To find out more, click here – https://inresto.com/contact.html
