Hyderabad redefining dining experience

Contactless menu, virtual payments, a host of healthy food options,  distanced seating, innovative promotions and safety protocols; the Covid 19 pandemic has led to new associations, newer ideas and thinking out of the box in order to adapt to the new normal. Rajeshwari Kalyanam trudges her way through Hyderabad eateries and finds that the food service sector in the cyber city has creatively used innovation and sustainability as means to tideover these challenging times.

When restaurants in Hyderabad began reopening after the extended lockdown, it did not take much time for diners to trickle in; albeit in small numbers. Added to this is the social distancing regulations, which has surely reduced the number of covers that are filling on a daily basis in restaurants. However, weekends are surely better, and allowing liquor to be served has given a positive push to the eating out scene in Hyderabad.

This doesn’t change the fact that the equation between overheads and revenue stays imbalanced across restaurants in the city, even as the industry adapts to the new normal with innovative promotions and safety protocols for guests, and most importantly for the staff.

Shaaz Mehmood, Partner at the Mediterranean poolside restaurant, Olive Bistro, couldn’t agree more with the need for stringent safety protocols for the staff. “It is important to ensure the SOPs are in place and safety regulations are strictly followed. A guest at the most interacts with 10 people at his/her table whereas the staff interacts with many, and also handles the cutlery and used plates, etc. It is equally essential that they are kept safe.”

Social Distancing

Towards the end of October, Olive Bistro opened its doors to guests with the concept of social distancing being firmly entrenched with the help of mannequins that sport designers wear and add their share of colour and vibrancy to the space.

The bistro has outdoor seating and luckily, enough space to ensure social distancing without too much compromise on covers, but that is obviously not the case with all restaurants in Hyderabad.

Shaaz, who also runs the restaurant SodaBottleOpenerwala (SBOW), Hyderabad, shares, “At SBOW, we do experience challenges like tighter space. We are also dealing with a changed business model, HR costs, optimised use of the limited staff, and we haven’t got any huge rental waivers. All these add to the challenge.”

Slow and Steady

Sudeep Sharma, General Manager, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre, agrees that there has been slow but steady improvement in the number of diners trooping back, since time restrictions have eased and lockdown ended. “During the restrictions, the home
delivery and takeaway segments did well for our business and now with liquor service being allowed, we are seeing more and more guests wanting to experience the dine out options like during the pre-Covid times,” he adds.

Prashant Chadha, General Manager – ITC Kohenur, too agrees in investing in guest experience with anxietyreducing interventions. He shares, “The ‘New Normal’ is now giving way to the ‘Next Normal’ as the diners are slowly returning back for indining. We have implemented the ‘WeAssure’ program that includes disinfection of dining surfaces in the context of the restaurants, creating safe distancing (rather than social distancing) to enable socialisation, which are keys to our industry.

Digital Initiatives

QR coded menu cards, pre-plated menus, and takeaway options which are tweaked to suit the fine dining spaces and luxury hotels are some of the initiatives which are finding more takers.

Prashant explains, “Perhaps all hotels in the city have enabled a re architecture of their menus and pricing, and the need for speed combined with minimum touch service has become a key differentiator. The long spread buffets have given way to ‘Flying’ buffets where the food is sent to the table (served v/s self-help). QR coded menus have revolutionised the customisation of offers to a wider spectrum. Initiatives like ‘Gourmet Couch’ and ‘Party Pack’ as well as ‘GIY – Gourmet in Your Kits’ where the meal come semi-ready for the household has gained popularity.”
The latest addition to the food delivery scene is Q-Min, the gourmet food delivery platform that in its first phase allows guests to order from the specialty restaurants Adaa and Celeste of the palace property, Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad.

Andhra Flavours

In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, people have started adopting the new normal lifestyle in their day-to-day routine and hotels have begun to see a positive increase in the covers being filled at their restaurants.

Ravi Rai, Cluster General Manager, Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach, Novotel Vijayawada Varun and The Bheemli Resort says, “Re-orienting promotions to suit the changing preferences is a strategy that has yielded good results.” “Guests are now more health conscious and are very selective about the food they consume. We have observed that guests only prefer those restaurants amidst the pandemic, which are hygienically certified,” he discloses.

Special Takeaways

“Speaking of innovations, we have curated a special takeaway brunch meal box which people can relish at the comfort of their home as Sunday brunch. The F&B team has also come up with a concept known as the virtual dinner,” Ravi Rai asserts.

Hyderabad’s F&B sector is still awaiting the extension on the liquor licence at the time of writing this article. Yet, removing the curfew on liquor has surely upped the game.

The Glass Onion, one of the popular alfresco dining spaces in Hyderabad too re-opened its doors in August. “In the first week, we witnessed a few hesitant guests but we managed to build trust with our guests. With the liquor now being permitted to be served, we are definitely seeing more footfalls; however, we continue to remain mindful about the safety of our guests,” shares Operations Manager and award-winning mixologist, Sharad Arora.

Evidently, the food service sector in Hyderabad is presenting a united front in dealing with the challenges, by striving towards innovation and engaging more customer interest. It needs to stay afloat until it is back to business as it must be. Until then, the mantra is to think out of the box and come up with creative solutions and ideas which will fit in the new normal world.