- What are some of the latest trends in the F&B domain?
Food and beverage has witnessed a healthy growth over the past couple of years and with this trend there have been some significant shake-ups. The sector has moved increasingly from imitation to innovation. There’s also a deeper understanding of F&B components at the molecular level
Plant-based foods
The hype about veganism is still going strong with great market potential, as consumers are looking at healthier lifestyles.
Spice fusion
The use of aromatic spices, fruits and vegetables that are grown across this fertile country requires skill and mastery to avoid spoiling a dish. India’s vast geography and different demographic regions, all with their own traditions relating to their local cuisines, each with great differences in cooking techniques and cooking utensils, is just what the F&B scene needs right now.
Self-service kiosks and Grab and Go
People are mobile, and always on the go. Over the past years we have seen the ‘grab and go’ trend develop and evolve into a new lifestyle.People are more time sensitive, “time is of the essence”. The mobile snacking trend is only getting started.
- What untapped opportunities can hotels explore by utilising their existing F&B infrastructure?
Post COVID, consumers around the world now have access to an unprecedented level of convenience with the proliferation of technology driven solutions, consequently opportunities in the F&B and hospitality sectors have become massive and untapped
In an industry that has traditionally been slow to adapt, technology is the big sea change as it revolutionises how the F&B and hospitality industry remains competitive while, simultaneously, enriching end user experience.
With everything online, consumers have access to more information about the food they eat. Digital menus let the customer browse online before visiting a restaurant. But, a new transparency means that along with the description of their meal, they can also discover complete nutritional facts and ingredients which makes ordering, especially for those with food allergies or dietary restrictions, easier and more confident.
- How is the hotel handling food wastage?
Practices include prevention and reduction, recycling, donating, composting, tracking, improving ingredient purchase and storage, smart food merchandising, menu design, employee training, customer engagement, portion control, and service model changes.
- Should hotels consider leasing kitchens for cloud kitchen requirements during non-peak hours?
Following the lockdown, most hotels shut down a significant part of their portfolios temporarily. Hospitality companies were staring at huge F&B losses, a sector that typically contributes 30% to a property’s revenue.
While some hotels scaled down their kitchen facilities temporarily, others permanently shut their specialty F&B operations during the pandemic.
As compared to other global markets, labour-intensive countries like India are ahead of the evolution curve for food delivery models. The pandemic and its after-effects notwithstanding, the cloud kitchen space is likely to grow at a non-linear pace, as legacy dine-in restaurants and F&B retail brands get into the food delivery space. What is required is dedication and processes to maintain the quality and consistency of food across a number of locations.
- How are training and development being taken up by the hotel for its F&B division?
The food and beverage organization has to endorse the training and development of its workforce to broaden their knowledge and skills, re-orient their culture and values, and encourage individuals. To enhance the significance and importance of training and development practices, food and beverage sector should practise a better match between their training and development needs and its implementation. Many researchers have pointed out that hospitality organisations that use innovative training and development practices are likely to report better financial performance than their competitors that do not practice training practices. Thus, the role of training and development has broadened beyond program design. Presently, human resource experts and trainers are increasingly being asked to create systems to motivate employees to learn, create knowledge and share that knowledge with other employees in the hotel company. Training and development practices have a profound impact not only in the efficiency of employees but also direct impact on the organisational productivities and long term profitability especially in food and beverage industry. In order to achieve long term sustainability, effective and efficient people need to be equipped through proper training and development. Employee training and development has been recognized as a significant determinant of both employee and organizational performance
