While restaurant tech has been around for long, very few in the industry have embraced it wholeheartedly. And then along came the pandemic, and most outlets took a huge hit.
Although, many brands wavered initially, soon they realised there existed latent opportunities that could help them respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic. This included managing the growing digital ordering needs and integrating new operating models, like ghost kitchens, pre-packaged food production, and ecommerce strategies.
Vidushi Sharma, Chef and Owner of Mensho Tokyo explains why this digital transformation is no longer a nice-to-have setup but essential for future practicability. And how restaurants that crack this code will be the ones that prevail.
While the restaurant industry has been traditionally slow to adopt technology and innovative digital solutions, how did the pandemic compel then to explore this domain?
The pandemic has played a huge part in helping restaurants streamline and digitise their operations, specifically in the delivery domain. Since diners could not visit the restaurant, restaurants have had to take help from technology to make their products easily accessible and deliverable, whether through aggregators or through direct deliveries.
How did this shift also help them not just manage operations but also survive the past few months?
Restaurants are a physical space. In these past few months social media has been a much more powerful tool than traditional marketing activities to create visibility, and that has helped lots of brands survive in these difficult times.
Personally, in the last one year, we have managed to develop our menu via video conferencing with our chef in Japan as he couldn’t come to India due to the travel restrictions. Had we not managed to do this, our brand wouldn’t have survived.
Since dine-in is closed, 100% of our orders are via online ordering. While dine in was open, it was 70:30 ratio with 70% of consumers dining in and 30% ordering.
It is predicted that the future of the restaurant industry lies in off-premise consumption. What is your take on this?
I do not completely agree with this statement. Since, once the cases reduce, customers come out in droves to dine out. The charm of visiting a restaurant with friends or family, and eating dishes fresh from the kitchen is irreplaceable. To adjust to the current scenario, we are delivering our Ramen all over Delhi NCR and we say to ourselves that the experience in the restaurant is incomparable.
How will technologies for operations and service delivery help restaurants like your own to reinvent themselves and remain relevant and competitive?
Technology has changed the game for operations and service delivery in the F&B sector in the last two years. The whole process has been streamlined and technology has made it a lot easier for customers to order from their favourite restaurants, and for the restaurants to have solid logistics to build a good customer base.
How can they use technology to not just improve operations and service delivery, but also reimagining restaurants?
Restaurants can optimize their potential via social media visibility, influencer outreach, electronic ads and campaigns through food aggregators and food websites. This helps customers know about your brand, special dishes, and any offers you may be running at that point. The whole world has moved online and it’s the best way to organically build a sound customer base and stabilise revenue.
While third-party food delivery apps are becoming very popular, do diners increasingly prefer ordering directly from restaurants? Is it time for restaurants to invest in developing their own integrated online platforms and apps to closely connect with their customers?
When I plan to order food from a restaurant, I always prefer placing my order directly. Food aggregators provide great services and have a large delivery radius, along with a good customer base, their commissions are astoundingly high and doesn’t leave any margin for the restaurant. We field several calls a day from customers who want to order directly from us and have systems in place to cater to them. We are also planning a website to order food online to make it more accessible to the customer and reduce the need for a food aggregator in the middle. There are great delivery services one can partner with to deliver their food.
