India’s F&B industry has undergone a slew of transformation since the pandemic battered it. Like most other nations, players in the country had to rethink their business strategies to serve customers and keep their company running.
Although trends like takeaway and drive-through continued to gain ground due to the restrictions on dining-in, hoteliers had to adopt more technology-based solutions. From digital menus available with a barcode scan to contactless payment options, restaurants across the country sped towards tech-based solutions to stay afloat in what was already a cutthroat market.
Here are a few of the major trends that are likely to dominate the food and dining industry this year.
- Cloud Kitchens: Essentially, these rented commercial spaces produce food solely for takeaway purposes. The delivery-only model works wonders due to social distancing rules that are likely to stay in the near future. Also known as virtual restaurants or ghost kitchen, these establishments minimise operational costs that come with the hiring of manpower like serving staff and other logistics associated with a full-fledged restaurant.
- Contactless Delivery Services: The idea behind contactless delivery service is to reduce the volume of physical contact between delivery agents and customers. Restaurants and food delivery apps are continuously expanding these services to cater to the rising demand of hygienic and contact-free delivery options from customers.
- Tech-enabled in-restaurant dining experiences: Certain technology tools that were considered a luxury till recently are now becoming a necessity. The emergence of QR codes across restaurants for more contact-less dining experiences is one such example. QR codes will play an instrumental role in implementing a contactless menu and digital payments at an F&B establishment. In addition to this, pre-ordering services help diners to cut their wait time at a restaurant and ensure that their food is ready by the time they reach. Last, but not the least, reservations and waitlist management software will ensure that restaurants are not overcrowding and can adhere to social distancing norms.Â
- Â Self-ordering Kiosks: Large Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) players like McDonalds and KFC have already implemented this service. Kiosks are small standing digital systems that allow customers to place orders themselves without the intervention of a hotel associate. They speed up service with a significant reduction in time taken for placing orders. Kiosks are versatile systems that enable customers to curate their orders and pay for them via their preferred mode of payment with minimal physical contact.
- Healthier Food Choices: Consumers are now more careful than ever before while making food choices. There is a paradigm shift in food consumption where people are shifting from comfort food to healthy foods, for instance, vegetarian meal options. The concept of farm-to-fork is not new, but its acceptance is growing amongst millennials who are consciously avoiding junk food intake. The food service industry will have to continuously innovate their offerings based on changing consumer preferences, which are influenced by health trends and global events like the pandemic.
With customer habits undergoing massive changes and restaurants rushing to cater to these, the pandemic has been a catalyst for change in the F&B industry. A recent survey by RTi Research found that of the 31% of consumers who had food delivered to their homes for the first time, 66% said they would keep doing so after the global pandemic.
This means that there could be a permanent behavioural change with respect to people dining and socialising. It also means that restaurants will need to prepare for a different world even after the easing of social distancing restrictions. The adoption of tech-based solutions is sure to make this transition easier for hoteliers and restaurants.
