If the pandemic has turned about and reinforced one main activity in the lives of persons, it is the awareness that consuming out is no more a casual activity or an quick option to chill out with close friends.
From cloud kitchens to restaurants and luxury hotels and e-commerce platforms that provide fresh fruits and vegetables, the pandemic has shaken up how the meals preparation and contactless delivery ecosystem functions in tandem with the most stringent security protocols.
Serving COVID warriors: IHCL’s Qmin crosses considerable milestone
Notably, IHCL not too long ago announced that its culinary platform, Qmin, has crossed a considerable milestone of delivering more than one million meals to healthcare providers who have been battling the extreme COVID-19 second wave. The Taj Public Service Welfare Trust spearheaded the initiative.
Terming this as ‘being in solidarity with the nation’ to fight the deadly pandemic and ‘keeping community at the heart of everything’, Gaurav Pokhariyal, Senior Vice President & Global head Human Resources IHC stated, “We remain grateful to our COVID warriors – the medical fraternity – for their relentless fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Notably, the outreach of the initiative covered 38 hotels in 12 cities spanning 10 states.
ITC’s Sustainable Approach to Meal Boxes
The pandemic has made celebrations more specific and valued than ever just before even as persons take a cautious method to stepping out of their houses. Hotels are conscious of this continuing trend.
On Father’s Day, ITC Hotels Bengaluru rolled out ‘Weekend Binge’ with specific delights that could be enjoyed at home itself. Segregating the vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal boxes based on the quantity of persons (for two guests/4 guests) is a clever way to reduce meals wastage. Added to this, a range of Father’s Day themed cakes, ‘I love you Dad’ brownies and Celebrating Dads cupcakes have been on supply .
Noor Mahal Whatsapp Chatbot to resolve guest queries
During the pandemic, adoption of contactless technologies has grow to be important for the hospitality sector. Recently, Noor Mahal, Karnal launched the ‘Noor Mahal Whatsapp Chatbot’ which provides guests access to pick out from clever rooms to contactless mobile verify-in, clever controls and making sure utmost security and comfort as guest queries can be resolved by means of its Whatsapp Chatbot in actual time.
Terming this as an expression of Noor Mahal’s major priority becoming ‘the safety and health of guests and team members’, Manbeer Choudhary, Chairman and Managing Director, Jewels Group of Hotels observed that the chatbot will function as a rapid and practical one-cease digital platform that delivers hospitality and advisory services to its guests.
Hike in demand for mangoes in summer time
Clearly, there is one factor that Indians across the nation can confidently say is correct: no matter which component of the nation one is from, fresh fruits for the duration of summer time are generally in higher demand, specifically mangoes.
Hotels, restaurants and cloud kitchens are conscious that persons count on security protocols to be strictly enforced even when they make a option to dine out or order a takeaway or order on the web for perishable meals products on the web.
According to Samiran Sengupta, Founder and CEO, JustMyRoots, “There is a hike in mango demand this year even after the pandemic situation which in itself conveys how much people crave mangoes. We recently delivered more than 2000kg of different mango varieties like Himsagar, Rasaalu, Himayat or Imam Pasand, and Banginapalli and continue to send it across different cities based on popularity and demand. All these mangoes are coming fresh from the orchards of West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. These sweet, pulpy mangoes are highly in demand.”
Despite the expanding demand for ordering takeaways and an rising visibility in the context of cloud kitchens, the lockdown has impacted meals companies across the nation. Procurement of raw components is a important element that has impacted the delivery and provide chain for modest meals companies and cloud kitchens.
Challenges for cloud kitchens amidst pandemic
Kallol Deb, Partner, at a Bengaluru-based cloud kitchen ‘BIRIYAN’, informs TheSpuzz Online, “With the lockdown and the imposed restrictions in Karnataka, it has become extremely inconvenient to run a food business. The impact is primarily felt with respect to the procurement of raw materials either due to unavailability of stock or sub par quality due to limited supply. This has a direct bearing on the quality of food we provide as we are severely dependent on our vendors for the supply of raw materials. Our staff also face difficulty in commuting as the lockdown forces us to change our schedule inorder to adhere to the lockdown timings which at times becomes inconvenient.”
Food is no longer about sitting down to delight in a great meal but also about maintaining loved ones protected and capturing moments and specific celebrations devoid of compromising on the stringent hygiene protocols that are now mandatory.
Are cloud kitchens the future?
With quite a few challenges looming ahead ,can cloud kitchens nevertheless be deemed as playing a crucial part in the future?
“It definitely is. It’s less resource intensive and allows budding entrepreneurs to work on innovative ideas and work on a smaller scale before going big. This gives them a buffer to take enough risks to ensure success without risking everything. Also, since cloud kitchens are economical to maintain we can provide greater quality of food at a much lower price. Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages,” explains Kallol Deb.
For stakeholders in the meals delivery ecosystem, the freshness of nutrients is now a crucial booster in terms of creating sales.
Samiran Sengupta, Founder and CEO, JustMyRoots observes, “As India’s first Perishable, Interstate, Food Supply Chain, we enabled an e-commerce platform which delivers pure nostalgia in the form of food across India and mangoes too are a part of it. All mangoes are directly sourced from the orchards, packaged and shipped with special packaging. So, the mangoes will reach you fresh in no time at all. Our staff have a strong sense of hygiene and cleanliness. During the pandemic, the team had to be extra cautious, remembering all the “MUST DOs,” such as making use of sanitized packaging, masks, gloves, and a range of other products.”
Going forward, will the hybrid working model redefine the way pros make meals connected alternatives?
Commenting on the future of meals alternatives specifically in IT centric Bengaluru, Kallol Deb views the ongoing pandemic as paving the way for a radical shift in how quite a few multinational firms are adopting a hybrid work-from-home model, thereby enabling smaller sized firms to do the identical.
In his view, “Since these days, most professionals are hard pressed for time to prepare regular meals, they are forced to order online now, more often than not. They, however, are very particular about the quality of food and the hygiene being maintained at the outlet. Hence they prefer to order from places they are familiar with so as to minimize botched orders as much as possible.”
For pros who want to keep focused on work and invest as tiny time as achievable in the kitchen, it does not get substantially simpler than it is now. With cloud kitchens supplying economical possibilities, the after-highly-priced dining out meals bill can be simpler on the pocket than ever just before.