Gone are the days when we pushed
people together with the elbows seeking to get a drink in a crowded
pub, where you favoured a particular restaurant because it was cosy, crowded and
buzzing. Dining outside was not just
about the meals, but also about interacting. In a post-Covid era, it's all
about social distancing.
Think about pre-ordering a meal
and pre-booking a table ahead of turning at the restaurant at the designated
time. Have your temperature checked in the entry, you will be walking through
automated doors and then sit at a table that's at least 6 ft apart from the nearby
table or there may be plexi-glass separating both tables. Sanitize the Hands
with all the sanitizer that's likely to be the new centerpiece in the desk rather
than scented candles or blossoms.
You've got a mask and gloved server, serve
you with that your pre-ordered meal, make the payment online so that you won't
need to get the bill book or the credit card machine touched and leave, all
through the entire workout you are going to be placing a mask which you'd
remove only while eating. Now, stop imagining because this is going to function
as the newest norm post the lock down, after the dining establishments reopen.
The restaurant industry is just
one among the biggest from the service sector, accounting for about 3 percent
of India's GDP and employing roughly 7.3 million people is suffering possibly
its worst catastrophe ever. According to the National Restaurants Association
of India (Nrai), Restaurants around the country are trying hard to reopen and
plenty of restaurants won't ever open , rendering several employees jobless,
four out of each 10 dining establishments is likely to be permanently closed in
the lack of a government bailout, and the industry has increased operating
expenses, including leases, licences, utility bills and the lock-down has
attracted additional woes. Covid-19 has spelt doom to a sector that
pre-lockdown had a turnover of Rs 4 lakh crore.
A Sequence of Ups and Downs
The industry was coping with
issues before Covid-19 struck. The biggest issue that restaurants have been facing
is the shortcoming to claim input tax credits under the GST regime which adds
to the costs of operating a Hotels/Restaurants. It is a misconception that work
on huge margins instead they work on deferred payment model with very less
margins. Income is essential as the company is working on rolling credit. If
GST benefits are taken away then it decreases the bottom line of the business
which is already at roughly 12 per cent to 15 percent. Pre COVID, people
used to drift out not only for the food but also for meaningful interaction. Today
with guidelines set up where not more than four guests are allowed on each
dining table the taste and vibe of the eatery threatens to develop a thing of
the past.
Fine dining at your doorstep
Hotels/Restaurants are currently
delivering Roasted chicken, marinated meats, pasta, grilled vegetables and much
more which comes using recipe notes that contain directions to complete the
dish in your kitchen. Given that these are unprecedented instances a new way of
functioning has been adopted for most Hotels/Restaurants and they are tweaking
procedures often, trying to discover a balance among quality and viability
predicated on opinions.
Taj Hotels has started "Hospitality@Home"
a Contact-less take-away support, at 10 of its accommodations in Delhi
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, with dishes out of the iconic
restaurants Offered. That Means You can zip by to pick keema pav out of
Shamiana up in the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, the delicate Delhi-6 Mutton Stew
from the java shop Taj Lands' Stop chicken Tai-chin at Taj Palace, Delhi from
Spicy Duck, Blue Ginger's signature Vietnamese hot red curry out of Taj West
End butter garlic prawns out of Taj Krishna's Golden Dragon along with an Dish
from Southern Spice Peppermint and pineapple flavour mix, in Hyderabad and many
more.
Likewise, Marriott Worldwide has established
the “Marriott On-wheels" initiative a compact menu has been made by More
than 20 of its accommodations, together with meals delivered in sanitized
vehicles. Select from selections such as the quinoa chaat along with artichoke
and avocado salad with peppers and lettuce or hearty, comforting dishes like
the classic Margherita pizza, smoked chicken tagliatelle, gosht rogan josh
along with Konkani curry. When It is hotels or restaurants,
these Do It Yourself Delivery menus and kits have been priced reasonably,
remembering that the Financial uncertainties in the lifestyles of customers.
Matters like automation will come
into play in order to steer clear of human contact, sensor-based light in
common areas, detector replacements and gesture-controlled flushing in people
washrooms will become industry standard as people may get aware concerning the number
of surfaces, they used to the touch during hotel visit.
As social distancing will be
maintained in the kitchen with less chefs working in and around the kitchen it
will compress the menu and there will be a limit in overall range of people
allowed within the cafe at any given time. Big restaurants will come up with
live cameras and will stream it on the Internet so anyone across the globe can
log on to their website and see how they are operating. To reduce touch,
Hotels/Restaurants will put disposable crockery and cutlery of very high-quality
high-tech devices along with ultra violet enabled technology will ensure
cleanliness throughout table turnovers.
To lessen contact, restaurants
are looking at installing automated flushes and pedal step water faucets in
washrooms and automated hand sanitization station. Working on delivery and
takeaway menus during the lock-down has helped restaurants to generate some
revenue. To guarantee clients, the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) already has a list of
guidelines place for foods companies, specifically keeping the covid-19
pandemic in mind. These vary from cough manners to screening of friends and
staff members equally with thermometers. They also spell out distancing norms
for the food and also staff handlers, that are required to maintain at one metre
space from one another while tackling their own lockers.
The FSSAI guidelines also
recommend the creation of a regional emergency group, notably to deal with
ailments, with just one individual specified as a co-ordinator against covid-19. Staple choices in fine-dining
restaurants will be tweaked keeping these safety norms. For instance, the
buffet process in Marriott's Hotels. Gone are the times when guest was
permitted to serve themselves by a container working with a long spoon touched
by other diners earlier. The buffet will be reinvented with small portions and
live stations.
The table where people used to
dine will vary. Vases filled with exotic blossoms, dainty tea lights along with
condiments will share space with sanitizers disposable menus, wipes and
disposable dining table mats with sealed components of cutlery. Air-conditioner filters will be cleaned
frequently as they have emerged as a cause of concern. The crowded restaurant
concept will no longer work. The number of guests might have to be distributed
by assigning different time slots, big group bookings will be discouraged and
alternate tables will be blocked.
Contactless dining- a word that
has been doing the rounds for a month will probably mean there will be little
interaction with all team. Delivery aggregator Zomato, that has been advocating
this concept vociferously, outlines the experience at three different steps:
Scan on a QR code on the table to learn more about the cafe menu with dish and
pairing recommendations and order through the app the server will create an
appearance. Pay the invoice via the program when completed. Don’t be surprised
if someday you have robots delivering food to your table.
Social media is very likely to
perform a more powerful position in conveying with these security measures that
are new towards the client. Customers may not necessarily be able to see what
is happening in the kitchen, so restaurants will show daily live feeds from the
kitchen. To reassure people, (societal media feeds) can be supplemented by
visible exhibit of an third party day-to-day audit file, wellbeing record of
staff members, a study on regular sensitization of their restaurant, even inside
of the physiological space as properly but putting this safety network in place
will obviously add into cafe operating expenses but eateries believe earning
customer confidence will likely probably be key to success at a post-lockdown
environment.
When Gates get unlocked
Support in the shape of rental
and wages protection (the Danish government for example has promised to pay 75
to 95 percentage of salaries if businesses usually do not lay their staff;
Singapore is covering wages up to 75 percentage; Canada has declared rental
reduction for small businesses) is the industry hoping for. A re-engagement on
payment of rentals with soft loans for longer intervals at lower rates of interest
and the excise fees which varies with each state as well as a revisit on the
GST and inputs credits issue at this time would be appreciated.
Technology is being aggressively
encouraged a tool effective for social distancing and contact less dining. My
Menu, an international digital menu provider, has launched contact-less QR in
order to replace most common touch point in dining i.e. Menu Card. The guest
scans a QR-code and looks at the menu and then places the order by means of the
application.
Guest will not ask for magazines or
newspapers as there is a probability of cross contamination. Hotels will look
for digital alternative which will give guests free access to a wide range of
magazine and newspapers on their own device with reducing face to face
interaction between both guests and staff will be the priority. Promote
contactless and keyless check-in with a mobile app or a kiosk
Remote controllers for tv sets
may end up being just another area of the situation and there are chances that
a guest might get affected thus, when a hotel decides to get remotes at the
guest room, they should ensure that the covers are changed. A more appropriate
option is installing an app in guest’s smartphone, through which various
functions such as the lights, air-conditioning, curtain and TV channels can be
operated.
The contactless experience is
going to be a requirement for Hotels/Restaurants after the lock down is lifted.
An industry that vouches with its ‘touch of hospitality and human interaction'
will now need to switch to an automated experience empowered by technology. All
new hotels will soon possess sensor-based taps in public washrooms and the
doors which open two-way would soon be a trend. The main entrance will have
motion detected sliding doors and will define contactless experience. The whole
concept of servicing the guests will change. From the pick up at the airport to
the check-in, entire stay and until check-out everything will be contact-less.
For Park Inn from Radisson moves
in the direction had begun pre-pandemic. The hotel in 2019 had installed Alexa
in its deluxe and junior suites and offered services with the assistance of device
hence, the guest does not need to contact front desk. They can merely put
amenity requests with voice orders and the same will probably be Set up in
elevators so that the guest does not have to touch the buttons. The cable TV in the guest living
room can’t be stopped but the Hotels can opt for less costly bouquet of
channels" Changes include discontinuing the bus service and moving into
in-room eating though cutting down on the meals cost to lessen touchpoints some
of the other changes include discontinuing the buffet service and moving to
in-room dining to reduce touchpoints while cutting down on the food cost.
Some of the instructions need to
be followed by staff members are
- Infrared thermometers will be used to screen all the staff members and providing them sanitizers before entering the hotel premises.
- Ensure that the entire kitchen and all the equipment are being disinfected and cleaned using appropriate chemicals multiple times a day
- The staff should be sent to designated hospital for further screening or asked to go into self-quarantine for 14 days if any symptom develops
- In case the hotel has a positive case, employees who have cleaned the room or served the individual/individuals would be isolated and quarantined.
It is to make sure that crockery
cutlery and all and glassware utensils were washed at temperatures over
65-degree Centigrade to be sure that they are sanitised correctly, soon after
guest's check-in, Welfare courtesy calls should be created at minimum one time a
day to ensure that their well-being. In the Event the hotel believes a person infected
with COVID-19 , the government concerned is likely to soon be immediately
informed and the guest should be requested to keep themselves quarantined .The
entire floor including each of the touchpoints of those guests shall be
sanitized using appropriate chemicals. During this period only designated staff
shall be allowed to serve the guest in his/her room, using personal protection
equipment and sanitation at all points during this period.
The guest would also
be advised to practice social distancing and minimum contact with the outer
world until the test reports arrive. Hotel chains have begun revamping their
existing service protocols and standards for guests following the COVID-19
pandemic. Guests will also be able to share their location with the hotel so
that the hotel staff starts preparing the food when the guest is enroute
At the end of the entire article i feel like, dining out will still take a long time to recover post the lockdown as consumer discretionary spending will be low thanks to salary cuts and job losses but still the Hotel/Restaurant industry will constantly evolve. It will not be same as it was a decade ago. Covid-19 will be a model changer where businesses will have to adapt. Zero-maintenance buildings, touch-free interactions, and technology-based sanitisation will evolve as a new normal for hotels. As the customer will feel more and more secure then the industry will start to get back to normal. Hotel/Restaurant will have to weather different kinds of storms all the time so they have to developed resilience. The food service sector has made a loss of ₹35,000 crores in the last month, which is the second highest among all industries and has affected 300 million people, but still it is the only industry that makes in India, lives in India and serves in India and its whole survival and recovery is an humanitarian issue.
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