Planning to dine out or nonetheless undecided about it? The country’s fine dining restaurants and kitchen spaces are poised for unprecedented adjustments to cater to the new normal. From digital menus to contactless in-space digital butlers and extra, India’s premium hotels are set to adjust the way you dine in 2021.
Indications are that technologies will play a pivotal part as a essential gamechanger for transforming your dining expertise. The The Spuzz Online’s Swapna Raghu Sanand spoke to essential stakeholders spanning India’s hospitality sector to determine the sweeping adjustments and what the best trends for the upcoming year are.
Technology as a game changer
One of the best hospitality trends pertains to the use of technologies to facilitate seamless hospitality solutions and on the net payment expertise.
As Nibhrant Shah, CEO & Co-Founder, Isprava & Lohono Stays told The The Spuzz Online, “Customers were always kings, but now will be able to reserve a table and precook their order which will lead to no waiting time. With the help of their smartphones one will be given the exact seating arrangement to minimize customer interaction, provided with faster internet for a more seamless online payment experience and access to much more due to digital being the present and future of the marketing industry.”
Contactless dining choices which includes in-space digital butler app
Speaking to The The Spuzz Online, Rakesh Sethi, General Manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru stated, “Contactless digital dining menus are being offered. Also, a contactless in-room digital butler is being developed. Be it sharing instant responses and information to questions, handling requests, noting down food orders as well as booking requests, and providing the most up to date recommendations, this 360-degree guest communication platform lets guests interact with the hotel through their personal smartphones.”
At Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru, meals security requirements and new table service protocols have been reinforced, enabling social distancing practices by minimizing allowable capacities, escalating distance in between furnishings and limiting celebration sizes per table. In addition, there is an enhanced sanitisation programme with a concentrate on higher-touch and higher-website traffic places.
Social distancing in between tables inside restaurants
Meanwhile, Senthil Thangavel, General Manager, Poetree Sarovar Portico, Thekkadi told The The Spuzz Online, ” Changes in the restaurant layout make sure that every table is at least one particular meter away from the other. Guests will be permitted inside the dining location following they have utilized the hand sanitizer placed at the entrance. Dinner plates are placed in a plate warmer set at 60°C. Staff keep adequate distance even though taking orders and throughout service. All dining tables, meals service places and bill folders are sanitized prior to each service. Our servers put on face masks and clean protective clothes and gloves at all occasions and their hands are sanitized prior to meals choose up and delivery.”
Highlighting the sense of function and pandemic connected fatigue that people today are challenged with, Gagandeep Singh Sawhney, Executive Chef, Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru had earlier shared with The The Spuzz Online numerous adjustments that are taking location in the hotel menu and the kitchen.
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Innovative meals offerings and DIY kits
Interestingly, the pandemic has also designed important possibilities for revolutionary snacks and quick-to-make DIY kits.
Traditional meals products that are distinctive to certain regions such as the North East are also choosing up demand and new classic meals products are getting introduced to cater to the increasing demand for regional meals products.
According to Dipali Bhattacharya, owner of Prakrity Food Products, “We are planning to increase our items in our snacks category and ship those across the country too. We are already working on a new ready-to-eat breakfast mix, which is an Assamese traditional item called ‘Joplan’. Also, three more picks are work-in-progress and these are roselle sweet pickle, elephant apple pickle and pineapple spicy chutney.”
She highlights two distinctive and organic pickles, raw turmeric coconut pickle and methi pickle, which are notable for well being advantages.
While not all meals startups and businesses are focused on boosting immunity, there is considerable awareness on the value of consuming responsibly.
According to Avinash Bamania, Assistant Professor, Food Production from ITM-Group of Institutions, “Companies like Food Darzee, Vezlay, Licious etc. have started identifying the need of serving food of impeccable quality and have introduced several products in their line-up. For instance, teenagers are trying keto pizza, soy chap kebabs, and healthy meat spreads as alternatives to the regular products. But, with high prices of these products and lesser area of coverage, companies are not able to realize their full potential. Therefore, collaborations with social media personalities and celebrity chefs have proved to be a better option to market these products to reach a wider audience.”
[Sunday Brunch at Shangri-La, From DIY desserts, recipe cards, cupcake icing kits, bake your own kits]
This observation raises an apt query: Given how meals commence ups and on the net ordering apps are aggressively coming up with distinctive initiatives, what is currently altering inside hotel kitchens and fine dining restaurants that can pave the way for best trends subsequent year?
Increase in meals takeaways
According to Nibhrant Shah, CEO & Co-Founder, Isprava & Lohono Stays, security has been a huge concern. Therefore, takeaways are going to boost drastically as it reduces several get in touch with of the meals delivery agents.
All Day menus alternatively of two meal menu
A notable aspect he touches upon is that as extra and extra restaurants are coming up with distinctive options to boost income, one particular such well-known option is to run an all day menu as opposed to the classic two meal menu which would boost the footfall, and subsequently the income of the restaurant. Simply place, gear up for 3 shift restaurants in the coming year!
Naked Kitchens to enhance self-assurance of shoppers
Ever wondered what’s cooking in the kitchen given that you can not even see it from exactly where you are seated? This is a essential concern for guests who are grappling with the new normal. Is there a remedy? Indeed!
“Naked kitchens offer confidence and trust. This is because of the visual appeal of the food. The cleanliness of the kitchen can be effortlessly inspected by the people which bolsters the confidence of the hygiene standards maintained,” Shah told The The Spuzz Online.