3 Keys to Running a Customer-Centric Restaurant

In the last 2-3 years, we have seen there’s huge change in the customer lifestyle, preferences. In fact, if we look in general, Gen Z in our office talk about not gaining weight anymore, they talk about body fat percentage and all the other KPIs, which I failed to understand, right? So there's a bigger lifestyle change and then there is a piece on the nightlife that’s turning big. So, we will talk and discuss here on how some of the top nightlife restaurant owners are balancing the two. 

Eat at Home If You want to Eat Healthy

The covid did definitely shake everyone that has brought a certain kind of a lifestyle change among the customers. But with these people became more aware, more conscious with the habits. “Let’s not fool ourselves. There is no healthy nightlife place. I think the first word that comes to my mind is alcohol and dance. Right? I think it's easier to achieve in a smaller concept,” shared Pankaj Gupta of Flavour Pot Hospitality who believed that it is easier for smaller concept to cater to the customer need and customize as per their palette. “I would just have a roasted chicken with salad. Now, that's very easy to do that. But, you know, talk about the same phenomena in a bigger concept. No, a nightlife place serving healthy food. It's an oxymoron for me,” he pointed.

Customization is a Choice

“If you want to stay healthy, eat at home,” points Ranbir Nagpal of Yazu by adding that if we look at the numbers the highest selling items are the ones which are non-healthy. But as a restaurant owner we try to create that balance. Restaurants can play with ingredients, method of cooking, something which will help you create value for your customer, for your food, for the quality of food.

Know your Market Well

There’s no denying that it is very important to know the market, clientele and neighborhood you are operating your restaurant, brand. “Consumption patterns in each city is different, audiences are different and what they like and dislike are fairly different. For us, there hasn't been a one size fits all concept. Each of our concept has been exclusively curated for that city. Specifically, like the backwaters in Kochi is called the backwaters. I can't pick that brand up and open it anywhere else, right? Because it is curated for that city knowing that banqueting is massive in Kochi. So each city was researched, consumption patterns were understood, footfalls were understood, and then each of these brands took birth,” said Twinkle Keswani, Founder, Pisco Hospitality by adding that they're going to these cities, understanding what is working best there and coming up with brands as per that. 

Adding to the same, Karan Nohria of Silly pointed, “we took six months to prepare to understand what the market is like. We talk about the location perspective in terms of how big is Delhi and Bombay because you've got locations out there, you know, you've got properties that are available out there, people are up for it. Bombay is better in terms of cocktails that we talk about, but Delhi's got great cocktail bars. So, we have to completely understand what the market is really demanding for. You have to design it that way. For us, it was getting the same brand in that city, but we made sure the design, the pattern, the food, the cocktail is designed as per their palette. And what the customer really wants over there.”