With a growing awareness and the benefits of organic food; over the last decade, sales of organic food products have grown severely in the supermarket. It has grown by 20 percent annually targeting at two percent to roughly 3.5 percent by the end of the decade.
Today, the consumers see organic food supplements as a healthy and nutritious option to to keep up a pace with the fast moving lifestyle.
“A shift in the consumer mindset more towards the West is trending in India these days. People even from small towns are looking for a healthier lifestyle and choices”, believes Robin Chatterjee, Founder, Yogurtbay.
What’s trending
In India and abroad, organic food is a popular trend which has taken health enthusiasts by storm. Indians are slowly opening up to the idea of buying food that has been produced naturally without the use of pesticides and chemicals.
Anun Dhawan, Director, Mentor Hospitality (Master Franchise Holders of Pita Pit in North & East India) says, “There was a time when healthy food was a matter of choice. Today, with increased awareness about the ill effects of an unhealthy lifestyle along with the newer options available in the market, eating healthy is becoming a way of life. Consumers are shying away from high carb, high fat fast food and willing to experiment with other concepts”.
Meanwhile, retailers like Foodhall, Nature’s Basket and grocery portals like Big Basket.com, Local Banya.com is targeting at getting double-digit revenue from these products segment.
Top served brands
Organic food brands may be spending millions to endorse an eco-friendly-image. Top food retailers like Future Group, Reliance Retail, and Spencer's Retail say sales from organic vegetables, fruit and food products is increasing day by day.
“The young working population are independent and do not have much time to prepare every meal at home, which is why they look to eat out. They are eating out more often than earlier, which is why the demand for nutritious and healthy meal is constantly increasing because they don't want to repeatedly have heavy, fat filled and/or unhealthy junk food”, shares Arjun Khera, Chief Brand Officer, Smoothie Factory.
So, not only India, people across the globe are becoming more and more conscious about their health and lifestyle.
Thanks to the various awareness campaigns, people are now realizing the ill effects of junk food and empty calories.
Even brands like ITC and Amira has pulled a range of organic spices from the market and food products by expanding their current range of offerings.
Supply Chain Challenges
The organic food industry is steadily moving from position markets i.e. small specialty shops, to mainstream markets, large supermarket chains.
The chief importance of organic food concept is the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches to the consumer. Currently, the production of produce in small to medium farms is rather limited, amounting to a few hundred tons. Such farms are not very profitable for mainstream grocery chains and many buyers seem to be unsure about channels of distribution. As there is a large knowledge gap spanning the marketing system in place, the value chain i.e. activities that a firm performs to deliver a valuable product or service for the market and the value delivery network i.e. supply chain network in the organic food system.
Additionally, over the past few years to organic stores and supermarkets, a variety of other retail channels has emerged. Studies gives an overview of the broad variety of supply chain models and retail formats and looks at the specific features of each of them in detail. Like online retail and home delivery are picking up fast, it enables more consumers to access organic products, as organic stores are scattered across large cities with high traffic volumes and inadequate transport infrastructure. Another pioneering approach is the community- supported agriculture and consumer cooperatives are trying to bridge the widening gap between rural producers and urban consumers.
The supply chain challenges are not exclusive to organic food; even conventional food also is affected by factors such as problems with the supply chain or inventory management. Moreover, organic farming has unique challenges related to the cost and logistics of moving locally or regionally produced organic produce to the market.
Conclusion
The reasons for consumers to go organic are many. One of the reasons is that it is not only fashionable but also organic in nature which has goodness in it. Organic products are mainly made up of natural substances, which in turn have been grown eschewing the use of artificial chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. That is why; the Indian organic food market has begun growing rapidly.
According to a study by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), consumers are increasingly buying organic products when grocery shopping, with 89 percent of organic buyers purchasing organic dairy products and 25 percent always buying organic dairy products.
The Indian hospitality industry has always been a culinary melting pot, blending age-old traditions with the dynamism of evolving guest preferences. In 2024, several new trends have emerged that are shaping the future of dining in Indian hotels. From the rise of regional cuisines to the increased emphasis on wellness and sustainability, the industry is embracing these changes. Looking ahead, the industry is poised to see even more exciting innovations and trends in 2025 that promise to redefine the dining experience. Below are the trends shaping how Indian hotels are redefining the art of gastronomy.
1. The Rise of Regional Cuisines
Indian cuisine, diverse and steeped in history, is finally enjoying its well-deserved spotlight. Regional delicacies are being celebrated like never before, with chefs diving deep into local cultures to unearth lesser-known recipes. Guests no longer seek just butter chicken or biryani; they are eager to taste Kolhapuritambdarassa, Assamese pithas, or Chettinad-style curries. Hotels across the country are curating menus that honor local flavors and ingredients, ensuring each dish tells a story.
2. Hyper-Local Sourcing
The demand for fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients is reshaping hotel kitchens. Hyper-local sourcing not only supports local farmers but also ensures dishes are flavorful and sustainable. For instance, sourcing Himalayan pink salt from Uttarakhand or fresh black rice from Manipur adds unique, locally rooted flavors while supporting indigenous producers. By using farm-to-table produce, hotels are minimizing their carbon footprint while offering guests an authentic dining experience. This approach not only boosts sustainability but also provides a connection to the local community and its unique flavors.
3. Plant-Based Revolution
Post-pandemic, wellness has become a priority for many travelers, mirroring broader global movements that emphasize health, mindfulness, and sustainable living. Guests are increasingly looking for meals that boost immunity, improve gut health, and promote overall well-being. Superfoods like quinoa, moringa, and turmeric is now integral to hotel menus. Chefs are balancing indulgence with nutrition, offering wholesome options that deliver on both health and taste.
4. Focus on Wellness and Functional Foods
Post-pandemic, wellness has become a priority for many travelers. Guests are increasingly looking for meals that boost immunity, improve gut health, and promote overall well-being. Superfoods like quinoa, moringa, and turmeric is now integral to hotel menus. Chefs are balancing indulgence with nutrition, offering wholesome options that deliver on both health and taste.
5. Experiential Dining
Dining in hotels is no longer just about the food; it’s about creating memories. Experiential dining concepts like rooftop dinners, themed buffets, and live cooking stations are enhancing guest experiences. Guests want to be part of the culinary journey, whether it’s through interactive chef tables or curated food festivals. These initiatives transform dining into a story that guests can share and cherish.
6. Sustainable Practices in F&B
Sustainability is no longer optional; it’s a necessity. Hotels are adopting practices like zero-waste cooking, eliminating single-use plastics, and sourcing responsibly. Innovative techniques such as using food scraps to create stocks or garnishes are gaining traction. At ibis India, we have incorporated eco-friendly practices across our kitchens, striving to minimize waste while maximizing flavor.
The Way Forward
The evolving preferences of diners are driving innovation, encouraging chefs to push boundaries and create new culinary experiences. As Indian hotels continue to embrace diversity and innovation, the fusion of Western flavors with traditional Indian dishes is set to redefine the dining landscape. This exciting blend of global and local influences promises to offer guests unique and memorable gastronomic experiences, shaping the future of food in Indian hotels. With these advancements, the culinary scene in India is poised for a vibrant and transformative future.
As we step into the year 2024, the travel and hospitality industry is poised for a transformative journey, shaped by emerging trends, technological advancements, and evolving consumer preferences. The aftermath of the global pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital solutions and reshaped the way people approach travel. Here are top trends that we are going to witness in the hospitality, restaurant sector:
Digital Transformation and Contactless Experiences: The travel and hospitality industry continues to embrace digital transformation, with a heightened focus on providing seamless and contactless experiences. From digital check-ins and mobile room keys to touchless payment options, technology is playing a pivotal role in reducing physical contact and enhancing overall guest safety and convenience.
Rise of Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Practices: Conscious consumerism is driving a shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly travel options. Travelers are increasingly seeking accommodations and transportation services that prioritize environmental responsibility. Hotels and airlines are responding by implementing eco-friendly practices, such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, and the use of sustainable materials.
Personalization through AI and Data Analytics: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics are empowering travel businesses to personalize customer experiences. By analyzing user preferences and behavior, companies can offer tailor-made recommendations for accommodations, activities, and dining options. This level of personalization enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Immersive Technologies in Travel Planning: Virtual and augmented reality are revolutionizing the way people plan their trips. Travelers can now virtually explore destinations, hotels, and attractions before making a booking decision. This immersive experience not only aids in better decision-making but also creates excitement and anticipation for the upcoming journey.
Blockchain for Enhanced Security: Blockchain technology is gaining traction in the travel industry for its ability to provide enhanced security and transparency. From secure and efficient payment processing to streamlined identity verification, blockchain is playing a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive information and reducing the risk of fraud.
Hyper-Personalized Marketing and Loyalty Programs: Hospitality companies are leveraging advanced marketing techniques to create hyper-personalized campaigns. Through the use of AI and machine learning, businesses can tailor their promotional efforts to individual preferences, making marketing messages more relevant and effective. Loyalty programs are also evolving to offer personalized perks and rewards.
Remote Work Integration in Hospitality: The rise of remote work has led to an increased demand for accommodations that cater to professionals working from different locations. Hotels and resorts are adapting their services to accommodate remote workers, offering co-working spaces, high-speed internet, and amenities that support a comfortable work environment.
Health and Wellness Travel: The pandemic has underscored the importance of health and wellness, leading to a surge in wellness-focused travel. From spa retreats to fitness-centric vacations, travelers are seeking experiences that prioritize physical and mental well-being. Hotels and resorts are responding by incorporating wellness amenities and programs into their offerings.
The year 2024 promises to be a dynamic and transformative period for the travel and hospitality industry. As technology continues to shape the way we travel, businesses that embrace innovation, prioritize sustainability, and cater to evolving consumer preferences will undoubtedly thrive in this ever-changing landscape.
Home cooking, once considered a diminishing skill, is experiencing a renaissance. In response to this culinary resurgence, upliance.ai, an innovative home appliance startup, has introduced its AI Cooking Assistant, delishUp⤴️, and is delighted to present its comprehensive debut food trends report. This report embarks on a flavorful journey through the evolving tastes of young Indian households, enriched by meticulously curated, data-driven insights.
Derived from an extensive dataset encompassing 3,000 households and over 15,000 cooking sessions on delishUp⤴️ across 11 cities, the report divulges compelling findings that offer intriguing glimpses into the nation's ever-changing culinary preferences. While certain preconceptions are reaffirmed, others challenge stereotypes, resulting in a multifaceted tapestry of tastes and preferences.
Key Highlights of the Report:
Vegetarian vs. Non-Vegetarian: The Culinary Tapestry of Indian Homes
India, often perceived as primarily vegetarian, unveils a more diversified culinary landscape. Approximately 51 percent of homeowners proudly declare themselves non-vegetarians. However, many novice cooks gravitate towards vegetarian dishes due to the perceived complexity of handling meat, resulting in 85 percent of households preparing vegetarian meals on delishUp⤴️. Traditional favorites such as Veg Pulao and Kadai Paneer remain highly popular, with other classics like Poha and Rasam enjoying widespread acclaim.
North vs. South: A Curiosity for Regional Delicacies
Challenging the misconception that South Indians solely prefer rice-based meals, chapati dough emerges as a frequent choice, comprising 3.5 percent of meals prepared on delishUp⤴️. Conversely, North and West Indian users are increasingly drawn to South Indian delicacies like Upma, Lemon Rice, Bangalore-style Sambar, and Cabbage Pachadi. In the South, an exploration of dishes like Gujarati Kadhi, Mumbai-style Pav Bhaji, Rice Kheer, Surti Cold Coco, and more reflects cross-regional culinary curiosity.
ChatGPT Creations: Fusing AI with Culinary Innovation
AI has seamlessly integrated into daily life, including the kitchen. Preparing new dishes has historically posed challenges in finding the right recipes, mastering techniques, and sourcing ingredients. With delishUp⤴️’s ChefGPT feature, even novice cooks are confidently experimenting with new dishes at home. Innovative creations, such as Mexican-inspired beer concoctions, the resourceful Rotli nu Shaak utilizing leftover roti, and the delectable Ada Pradhaman, a cherished Kerala dessert, have found a place in the kitchen.
Tea Time Snacks: The Appeal of Home-cooked Street Food
Despite being a cherished part of Indian food culture, street food continues to captivate home kitchens across the nation. DelishUp⤴️ data reveals that age-old classics like Pav Bhaji and Bhel are frequently prepared at home rather than being ordered or eaten out. Unconventional dishes like Bread Paneer Poha, Beetroot Rasam, Pudina Palak Khichdi, Creamy Peanut Noodles, Beetroot Halwa, and Chicken Tagine are gaining prominence, indicating a growing willingness to embrace diverse flavors and experiment at home when convenience prevails.
Eating and Cooking Healthy at Home: Aspiration vs. Reality
In an increasingly health-conscious world, it is noteworthy that while 40 percent of individuals express a desire for healthier eating habits, less than 10 percent consistently integrate these practices into their daily cooking routines. This underscores the perpetual balance between aspirations for health-consciousness and the allure of comfort food in meal preparation. Additionally, there is a widespread craving for restaurant-style food, with nearly 500 individuals expressing the desire to recreate their favorite meals at home. This spans various cuisines, with 40 percent favoring Indian, 20 percent preferring Continental, 20 percent opting for Italian, and the remainder exploring a variety from chaats to Asian dishes, aligning with the aspiration to make "outside food" healthier by preparing it at home.
Men's Culinary Independence
An impressive 80 percent of delishUp⤴️ users are men, primarily between the ages of 25 and 40, many of whom are embarking on their culinary journey for the first time. Cooking, once perceived as a laborious process requiring intricate recipes and skills, has been revolutionized by modern kitchen appliances. The convenience these gadgets offer has empowered individuals, particularly men who may have previously felt daunted by traditional cooking methods. Their attraction to cooking technology and the ease it provides has fostered greater independence in the kitchen, motivating them to experiment with a wide array of dishes and expand their culinary horizons.
What Unites Us
In the diverse landscape of Indian cuisine, timeless favorites like Poha, Pulao, and Kadai Paneer resonate with the nation's taste buds. Mornings commence with quick meals like Poha and Upma, while dinners embrace the comfort of Chapatis complemented by an array of sabzis, including Kadai Paneer and Aloo Tamatar Sabzi. Lunch varies but often features rice-based dishes like Veg Pulao and Sambar. Dessert cravings are dominated by universally beloved Rice Kheer, with Vermicelli Payasam adding a Southern twist. In the realm of non-vegetarian cuisine, Butter Chicken claims the throne, delighting enthusiasts nationwide. These culinary trends exemplify the enduring love for traditional flavors and the harmonious fusion of regional and national tastes in Indian cuisine.
As India's culinary landscape continues to evolve, this research offers invaluable insights into recent shifts in food preferences across the nation. With home cooking experiencing a resurgence, the convenience of appliances that streamline the cooking process is democratizing culinary experiences and empowering young Indian households to savor more diverse and exciting home-cooked meals.
What has kept you going?
I believe that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going and one should never give up. I think this phase has given me so many learnings and made me stronger, more adaptable and has helped me reinvent the wheel. Almost all our staff has been with us from pre covid. My incredible hard working team and the support from our customers has kept me going.
What’s your expansion plan?
As of now the only plan is the keep providing a great customer experience and grow our team and business. We haven’t thought of an expansion route to other cities as yet but it looks likely in the future.
Tell us about your other businesses and brands.
We launched a bakery called BlueBop Bakes that offers a variety of sweets & savouries like brioche donuts, cupcakes, croissants, tarts, gluten free & vegan cakes, danish & seasonal specials. We use the finest ingredients with a rich blend of flavours & textures to create our delicious treats.
5 tips you would want to share with fellow women restaurant owners.
Retain your team, listen to your customers but maintain a fine balance, customer experience is the most important, focus on quality & consistency, control overall inventory and food costs.
Top Trends that you foresee.
Increased interest around healthier foods, The rise of plant-based diets, more emphasis on Online ordering, The trend towards digital adoption will keep growing, more Sustainable practices, virtual restaurants with delivery only option, safer packaging, higher safety precautions, better food packaging.
Tell us something about your journey in the world of food.
My journey with food started at my home where I grew up observing my mother cooking food with full of love for the family.
How the food at Taj has changed in last 2-3 years?
In Taj we came up with an idea of serving food with mentioning calories value in our Menus. With my journey and experience at Taj Hotel Group I have focused on innovative ideas, local fresh ingredients , and finalizing the menu by doing fusion in food my past food experiences at different levels at kitchen.
How much time did you spend doing research on the food etc?
Food research is timeless effort in a chef's life, which is endless. Every day we research and develop new ideas in kitchen.
Indian food is so diverse and rich in itself. What is that one ingredient chef that you never miss in your cooking?
Fresh Coriander leaves which is one of the beautiful ingredients which enhances my food.
You have got more than 2 decades of experience working with top chefs across globe. What are the top learning that you got from these chefs that you would like to share with fellow chefs?
Innovation, consistency, perfection and passion for cooking and empathy.
Who are you targeting as your customer at Taj restaurant?
Any individual guests of any age group are our customers as we have taken extra care while designing our menus for infant guests, specific diet plan guests, allergen guests.
Chef, we see that 2020 has brought a complete change in the behavior of customers. How are you trying hard to meet their demand?
A chef's life is like a rollercoaster, it’s never hard as we are so use to with any situation to handle, Customer satisfaction is our upmost priority.
It is believed that local and seasonal will be the biggest hit in the food and beverage biz. Why so?
Local and seasonal are very fresh which directly coming to our plate from our nearby areas and are high at nutritional values.
Also, being one of the famous destination for top weddings in Agra. How have you see the catering sector changing during the pandemic?
Good Catering sector has always taken care of guests’ wellbeing. Now a days we are more focused on healthy dishes offerings to the guests as immunity boosters.
What innovation you have introduced in that sector?
With high demands of nutritive food in food industry I have come up with an idea of designing my menus in a way that will ensure guest well-being and good health.
What according to you will be the 5 biggest trend in coming years?
Local and seasonal food, pesticides food, organic food, low carbon produce, door to door service will be in high trends.
Covid-19 pandemic has changed the whole flavor of the restaurant and food business. With customers opting for more health, sustainable and immunity boosting foods, year 2021 would see more and more such concepts hitting the restaurant space. According to Technavio, health and wellness food market is poised to grow by USD 235.94 during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period globally. Driven by increased adoption of eating healthy habits, healthy and super food will be a mega hit in restaurant kitchens. Talking to Restaurant India, experts in the sector carved out these top trends that will be on everyone’s menu in 2021 and years to come:
Adopting more plant based food: Meatless food products are expected to grow from $700 million to $850 million in 2021 in sales according to Euromonitor International. Brands like Evo Foods that also runs a vegan restaurant Candy and Green, Carrot that was India’s first vegan restaurant and the likes have boosted the growth of the segment. Also, we have reached an era where people have got their meat substitute and are binging on such products. “I think the target for plant-based food products is not vegan people but flexitarian who are looking to include more plant-based diet. We look up to them and people who want to substitute their diet and want a better egg, higher quality, more ethical as a customer,” shared Shraddha Bhansali, COO, EVO Foods who is a passionate foodie and a vegan herself.
Also Read: Why Plant Based Food Trend is a Major Hit Globally
Healthy food is here to stay: demand for healthy food is on rise for quite some time now. People are adopting a healthy lifestyle and they are demanding for healthy food packed with nutrition. Healthy food is certainly a roadmap towards future wellness and personal growth. Also, restaurants have tweaked their menu and have included ingredients and raw materials that are packed with nutrition and are immunity boosters.
Low calories and low-carb: Green salad with salsa is things of passé, Meatza or meat based pizza is the new fad amongst customers. Customers turning more health freak now and hence they are looking at low calories and low-carb foods. Also, these days some restaurants are writing the exact calorie you are taking in the food ordered. You can look at the calorie in the menu card or board presented by the restaurant.
Super food should be the best option in today’s lifestyles: There’s no denying that Indians adopt a trend looking at other markets but we are one of the major importers of such superfood. Haldi doodh was always our grandmother’s favourite recipe but it became popular only global coffee chain played well with their turmeric latte. Ginger, Amaranth, moringa are all being consumed heavily by people in last 8-9 months. In fact, brands have come up with menus and products adopting these ingredients.
May Interest: “Traditional Cooking has no shortcuts”
Traditional cooking methods can be the great option: People are going back to their roots and everyone is looking at recipes that are lost and forgotten. “It is extremely important especially for a country like India. We are steeped in our diverse cultures and our food is an extremely important part of it. We should be proud as our food today is a major identity factor across the world. The thing about traditional cooking is that there are no shortcuts. Each dish is a masterpiece. I have seen it myself chefs taking shortcuts with ingredients and preparation, which make it impossible to stay true to traditional recipes even if they gain mainstream popularity,” shared Chef Qureshi Sadab of Westin Gurgaon.
Chef Peter Tseng and restaurateurs Nikesh Lamba and Japtej Ahluwalia of Soy Soi provide an update of what’s cooking
Food trends used to be dictated by chefs in the past years but lately we have seen that diners are now the pivotal game-changers in driving the Indian food service industry. There has been an upsurge of veganism and plant-based protein diet, as well as usage of alternative flour products like banana flour. People are getting conscious of what they eat and at the same time, the impact of its consumption on the environment. Here are some current trends:
Health Food
The focus has been on health and wellbeing, and food is where it all starts. Thereby we have seen home-grown health food concepts cropping up across all food platforms promoting healthy dining and customised diet food offering like eat.fit, FreshMenu, Food Darzee, and others.
Ancient Grains and Millets
Usage of ancient grains like millets and alternative flour varieties will gain more acceptance and chefs will find innovative ways to create and promote their usage on the menu.
Home Cooked Food
The increasing popularity of home chefs is also making in-roads into mainstream dining out and the food delivery scene with diners steering away from fast food.
Home Grown Farms
Organic and in-season food has been there for years now, but the coming years will see more and more chefs having their own farm in their restaurant backyards or rooftops, and actively participating in the process of farming with local farmers as diners become more concerned about where their food comes from.
Fermented Food
Given the current culinary landscape and the talks about wellness, fermented food is featured more on menu and gaining acceptance these days, not limiting to just sauerkraut or kimchi but unfamiliar and exciting products like Burmese tea leaf, kombucha and seasonal veggies, to name a few. Although preserving food using microorganism has been around since the inception of cooking, it was due to the commercialisation of food products that we saw canned and packaged food products, with added commercial preservatives to extend the shelf life of products, making their way into the kitchens.
Ironically, we Indians had always maintained a healthy and balanced diet but due to the onslaught of western lifestyle and rise in fast food, it has taken a toll on the health and wellbeing, and now we are in fact going back to our roots.
The other factor that is driving the food service industry is the impact of consumption on the environment and this has led to plant-based protein movement as opposed to animal-based protein.
Plant-Based Protein
There are pros and cons with regards to plant-based protein diets as they are looked down upon as incomplete proteins, lacking in one or more of the nine essential amino acids and not complete proteins. But that opens up to another debate altogether. The point is that animal husbandry is taking a huge toll on our natural resources which is limited and it is the need of the hour to conserve and protect our environment. Here are some eye-opening facts:
According to World Wildlife Fund, water used for livestock production is expected to rise by 50% and at present it accounts for 15% of irrigated water. The water footprint related to animal feed takes the largest share of 99% as compared to 1% of total drinking and service water. As per John Hopkins University, in general the ratio of water use is approximately 7:1 for beef, 5:1 for pork and 2.5:1 for poultry.
Replacements of all animal-based items with plant-based replacement diets can add enough food to feed 350 million additional people and at the same time growing plant-based replacements for each animal category can produce two-fold to 20-fold more nutritionally similar food per unit of cropland. Therefore, there is an opportunity loss of 40-95% across various categories of animal-based products. Up to 21.9% of the world population is considered vegetarian and this is predicted to increase two-fold in the coming decade.
The health benefits of plant-based diet include lower blood pressure, balanced cholesterol level, increase in metabolism, improvement in digestion, and lower BMI. “Today, it is no longer just about tackling hunger. We need to grow better and healthier food in an environmentally conscious manner,” said Ted Tan, Deputy Chief Executive of Enterprise Singapore, at a recently held Future of Food Asia Conference.
Perhaps the idea for a sustainable diet is not a meatless diet but a less-meat one with a strong inclination towards fruits, grains and vegetables. Reducing our reliance on factory-farmed animals can contribute to a low-carbon, sustainable and liveable future. As per Global Data, a leading data and analytic company, there has been a global shift away from meat in recent years and a full 70% of the world population reportedly is either reducing meat consumption or leaving meat off the table altogether.
Zero Waste Cooking
In line with sustainable cooking is another practice that will see most chefs rise up to the challenge – creating root-to-stem menu and inventive dishes that use each of the ingredients in their entirety. About Rs 50,000 crore worth of food produced is wasted every year in the country and the enormity of the situation is growing year by year.
Online and Grocery Platforms
Rapid urbanisation, social media awareness and rise of online food and grocery platforms, which is expected to grow by 45-50%, is all set to expand to middle-tier and lower-tier cities. This will in turn widen the scope for food and beverage service industry as although consumer preference tends towards regional and localised food, the scope of modernising traditional food and providing them at a convenience of time and place will open up huge potential for the food retail.
Gourmet Food
In the urban sector, there is an upsurge in demand for gourmet food due to growing awareness of new cuisines promoted by cookery shows, food bloggers and food travellers. This gourmet phenomenon is creating a whole new market for exotic food products and is invariably coupled with healthy diet-based food offerings, which now contribute 10-20% of sales across various food retailers.
The popularity of Cold Cuts & Deli meat is finally finding its way home with Indian consumers experimenting with everything from prosciutto to salami to hams as part of their diet.
With India, currently, being the second fastest growing market for processed meat and poultry with a CAGR of 22%, it comes as no surprise that cold cuts are finding a share in the Indian plates right from breakfast to dinner.
Various factors are helping boost the popularity of this segment including consumers’ demand for convenience, the greater availability of a variety of cuts from manufacturers and the fact that many Indians are foregoing the vegetarian diet for a comparatively protein-rich meat diet in general.
The expanding urban population base, rising demand for on-the-go foods and increasing awareness about different cold cuts with travel and exposure are definitely some of the drivers for the current spur of growth in the Indian cold cuts market.
Besides the overall booming market for cold cuts, here are the top four trends we see in the Cold Cuts & Deli Meat segment in India:
5 to 10 years ago cold cuts rarely delivered on consumers’ taste, availability and price expectations. Unlike International Markets, where frozen cold cuts are unheard of (and even looked down upon), the supply of Cold Cuts in India was being driven completely by Frozen Cold Cuts & Sausages.
In the last five years, the adoption of consuming Fresh Cold Cuts has been significant across the major cities with consumers foregoing the frozen cold cuts owing to the availability of far better tasting and nutritious fresh and chilled cold cuts.
The difference in taste between freshly-made hams, salamis and sausages versus the same cold cuts in frozen formats is so noticeable that customers are adopting these at a frenetic pace.
Once reserved to a speciality market and meat shops, conventional grocers across cities and feeder cities are slicing into the action with dedicated charcuterie counters stocked with fresh cold cuts to tap into the increasing demand for fresh & never frozen cold cuts.
Consumers, nowadays, are willing to pay much more for high-quality ingredients and quality. With growing health awareness among consumers, the result can be seen in the increasing demand for cold cuts using natural and healthy cuts like the use of certified hormone and antibiotic free meats in all sausages and cold cuts.
With information being readily available to consumers, this has served as a boon for manufacturers who have primarily focused on providing quality over others looking at only costs.
Further, producers are pushing the envelope to both differentiate their meats and to tap into consumers’ evolving palates. This has given rise to cold cuts and sausages with flavorful ingredients such as the use of Imported Spices and quality cheese inside the meats as well as smoky or spicy offerings.
Today, consumers have become avid label readers and when it comes to meat products they are not only curious about how they are made but also how the animals are raised.
These traits are important to customers. Ten years ago, no one asked for “hormone-free” pork or where it came from—but now transparency is top of mind. From clean labelling and callouts to use of nutritious ingredients and brand transparency, the consumer trend towards health and wellness has placed focus on highlighting claims on the labels.
This makes sense, as health claims in deli meats overall are trending up. According to Nielsen, antibiotic- and hormone-free claims are up 15 per cent in volume, products labelled with no artificial preservatives are up 7 per cent in volume, while all natural is up 2.5 per cent in volume.
Sales of products and brands with a focus on transparency claims including free from artificial ingredients, sustainable and health-focused sourcing and quality ingredients have been the ones to grow over the past few years. Further, products made from heritage breeds—ones that were once raised by our forefathers and are humanely raised and bred for certain traits and consistency of taste and flavour—are getting a lot of attention.
Everyone is still very focused on being more health-conscious and conscious of what they're putting into their bodies. Processed products have been notorious for having a concentration of sodium nitrate. However, the deli meat categories have taken leaps ahead been increasingly cooking up offerings to appeal to the health-conscious consumers.
Brands like Prasuma have provided consumers with choice and accessibility for purchasing their favourite cold cuts.
Consumers especially the millennials are increasingly choosing brands that are socially responsible, charitable and authentic. Fewer the ingredients mean a better product with highly wholesome attributes.
About the Author:
Lisa Suwal, CEO, Prasuma Meats & Delicatessen brand since August 2016.
Outdone by sights of the Gauchos on the Fields, outromanced by flashes of Brazillian beaches and fares, and engulfed by Mexican and Caribbean flavours, Peruvian food seems like just an anonymous hue in the pan-Latin palette that has painted many restaurants in the world.
But Peruvian, one of the greatest cuisines in the world has a much-enlarged repertoire of dishes. An original fusion of food, having absorbed influences from almost every continent over the last 500 years and melded them with ingredients and dishes that provide a direct link to the Incas.
Peru, the glittering heart of the Incan empire with its indigenous cooking techniques, and often spectacularly, amalgamate with Western and Asian methods. One of the world’s most exquisite and sprightly cultural melding, Peruvian cuisine is the living heritage of a radiant history played out across regions of South America. The cuisine is way through the pages of history, culture and natural wonders of that most Latin of the lands. The fare which, for centuries, has been touched up and plated with a myriad of local and foreign influences is itself a journey through history and an explosion of new flavours.
Peruvian is an amazing cuisine, one that has evolved from both local and immigrant traditions. Foods that were prepared by ancient civilizations are still enjoyed today, while typical Peruvian dishes also benefit from European, African and Asian influences. Peru's geography yields diverse ingredients: abundant seafood from the coast, tropical fruits from the jungle, and unusual varieties of grains and potatoes from the Andes.
The Peruvian preparation that let you go of all things familiar, as you bite into dishes which can trace their beginnings to the recipe scrolls of the mighty Inca and Moche civilizations, and the kitchens of the Creole people. Dishes which have been inspired by the palates of Peru, Chile, Columbia, and the culinary fares of Spanish Conquistadors, French merchants, Portuguese colonists, Dutch treasure seekers, and Asian immigrants.
Currently, Peruvian food is having a moment. The cuisine has been growing in popularity and the number of restaurants specializing in it for the past few years. Its food, like its country from which it hails, is complex and the food is blessed with influence making it a true fusion. Influenced by its distinct geographical regions and by other cultures, because of immigration and colonial past.
While best known for the Ceviche, the marinated raw seafood dish. Peru’s food is remarkably known for the diversity of its ingredient, from wonderful fresh seafood to the impressive diversity of potatoes, corns and chillies. Also known from its stir-fried beef to pasta and shrimps. Each influence got its own ingredients to this fusion cuisine, while the Spanish gifted it garlic and onions, guinea pigs and cows, the Africans got peanuts and yams.
The Italians brought the pasta and the Chinese influenced the rice, soy sauce and cooking techniques. Not only did it borrowed from the nearby Argentina and Chile, but it also did from Africa and Asia too.
On this journey, you will get to know that Peruvian cuisine is not simply food and drink, but a melting pot of age-old traditions, exquisite flavours, and fantastic experiments which carry the essence of an entire continent. There is no doubt about it that this is an undiscovered cuisine but no one can deny its alluring and exciting newness. To the world, they are new but not for long!
About the Author
Vikrant Batra, a stalwart in the Indian food and beverage industry, is the mind and force behind the ingenious concepts of his stand-alone ventures, Cafe Delhi Heights and Nueva.
Within a short span of two years, Indian consumers have created many new trends in the bakery industry. Today, people are moving away from the conventional, tiered and typically decorated cakes and are opting for personalised and thematic cakes, something that brings out their individual choices and personalities. Cake-related trends have diversified in the past two years with the customisation and dietary preferences playing a big role in defining peoples’ choices. A decade ago, the concept of a vegan cake was considered absurd. However, this choice is easily available now to the average Indian consumers.
Also Read: Top Food Catering Trends At Indian Weddings For 2019
2019 is going to be an exciting year for the bakery industry as old trends evolve and new trends set in. The market will be flooded with different trends such as vegan cakes, thematic cakes, non-cakes such as doughnuts or cupcakes, and a lot more.
The new-era designer cakes are set to be more in demand because they are more personalized and, hence, more appealing to the consumers. The designs themselves will no longer be limited to mass appeal but will become more individual-centric.
There’s such diversity among cakes that it requires its own specialization. Hence, listing all different types of cakes in one breath is impossible. However, some cakes which are becoming increasingly popular with consumers are semi-naked buttercream, metallic, the ‘toppers’, lace, printed wedding, Indian motif, inky black, doughnut, floating-tiers and understated textures among others.
Consumers are well versed with this miscellany, and expect authenticity and expertise when placing an order at the bakery.
Bizarre elements associated with the consumption patterns in the bakery industry, especially when it comes to cakes, are commonly observed from the perspective of wastage. In the hospitality industry, bakery section always sees more wastage of food. Once a cake is cut, if it is not consumed wholly, the remaining chunk has to be thrown away.
However, today people especially in the urban settings are more conscious about food wastage and tend to order only in the required amount. This type of conscious consumerism naturally gives way to newer trends which offer more personalization such as doughnut cakes, vegan cakes, mini-cupcakes, etc.
Instead of classifying this trend as bizarre, it should be promoted as a sustainable approach which is beneficial for the consumers as well as the businesses.
Kunal Rai is the VP, Weddings & Events, at Tamarind Global Weddings and Suchit Mahajan is from Deliciae Cakes.
Akshay Malhotra is the Executive Chef at ITC Welcome Hotel, Dwarka. Prior to working at Welcome Hotel, he had contributed towards the opening of the ITC Grand Bharat in Manesar and was the Executive Chef at Mughal, Agra. Chef Akshay has been associated with the ITC Group for eight years now. Speaking about his early journey, Chef Akshay reveals he never knew that his passion lay in food. He was studying to become a hardware engineer.
Chef Akshay tells Restaurant India, “I was studying to become a hardware engineer but midway plans changed. I was doing summer school at Carnegie Mellon in the US and one day while crossing the Pittsburg culinary Institute, I got off and asked the people wearing white (chef) hats and uniform about their profession. I, then, checked which the best culinary institute is. I came to know about the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park; I went there, gave my interviews and entrance, and got admitted. It was a big jump for me.” Akshay is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, New York.
When asked about how he sees the restaurant industry in India vs restaurant industry abroad, Chef Akshay tells Restaurant India, “The industry is a little different because of the culture and demands. The diners’ choices are different there. At the end of the day, it is the cultural difference. India is a more culture-driven place. We have a civilization which ages 5000 years back, hence, the effects of that is visible. Our food is deep. America as a country is around 350 years old, hence, their cuisines is kind of new to the world. What we had already done in the past, they are doing now – trying out different flavours and foods.”
Speaking about the hotel vs standalone restaurants, Chef Akshay Malhotra told, earlier, the hotel restaurants were the only fine-dining option for the diners. “When I came back to India, the only option was to eat in a good fine-dining hotel restaurant. It has been changing and evolving slowly now; standalone restaurants with fine-dining concepts are now successfully running in the country. There are a lot more options now. The market has exploded with similar concepts. Thanks to the eating habits of the people,” he says.
“People are exposed to the food during their travels outside India; they had seen food, so there is a demand for global food. There used to be a time when hotel restaurants would be the only ones to serve such cuisines. Now standalones have come forward and giving a tough fight for the money and they also have a product which they could boast of. Being a standalone restaurant, it’s easier to bring along a change. It’s easier for them to incorporate the menu changes,” Chef Akshay adds.
The whole industry in India has changed. It seems that standalone restaurants will continue to grow at a faster pace.
When asked about the food trends in the industry, Chef Akshay replies, “Millets, of course, have come to the mainstream!”
“Fermented foods will be there. A lot of pickling will happen in either western or eastern way. There’s going to be the comeback of the food that our grandparents used to have. Organic and sustainably grown grains are going to come to the forefront,” he further adds.
Gone are the days when only the taste of the food was the focus. These days it is about the entire experience around the food. In order to give a complete sensology experience i.e. touching all senses, molecular plays a vital role.
From the diners’ perspective, molecular gastronomy came in vogue because suddenly Indian food was not being served in a curry bowl with a dollop of butter on top/fresh coriander/'rogan' oil. Indian food had a fancy avatar. Meats were being cooked in 'sous vide' machines and traditional gravies were being replaced by foam. In the kitchen, molecular gastronomy provided an opportunity to let the imagination go wild and give a new perspective to traditional dishes. So now, a chaat could be served as a sphere on a spoon, keeping the flavours intact.
Molecular gastronomy became popular because these kinds of techniques were in vogue a decade ago the dishes which came out from these techniques were very unique, like having a fruit sphere made from juice, or a curd bubble made from normal curd with the help of chemicals.
Says Ankur Chawla, a passionate entrepreneur, sommelier and an author with domain and expertise in food and beverages, “To begin with, it is something that looks phenomenal and which can be enhanced a lot in terms of taste as well using molecular gastronomy techniques. Something that looks like an apple but tastes like an orange is the simplest way to explain the surprise element. From creating a simple B52 shot into caviars using Spherification (the most common these days) or using “Mint Air” on a Chicken Tikka rather than serving it with mint chutney elevates the experience. Using the right technique with the balanced and innovative thought process one can create magic. For instance ‘Sous Vide’ meats can give a perfect balance of taste, tenderness while retaining the juices in the meat. It completely depends on how one uses the technique and how much does one pushes it.
“I strongly believe it is the flavour that wins at the end but there is so much more, that one looks out for,” he adds.
Also Read: Is Traditional Indian Food Overshadowing Molecular Gastronomy
Telling us a little more about it is Vaibhav Bhargava, Corporate Chef, Yuvi hospitality, Molecule Air n Bar and The Drunken Botanist, “There was a lot of drama and smoke that came out during these preparations and that made the customer excited about what was really happening! And, that’s why suddenly it has become a popular thing. There are many restaurants which have been incorporating these techniques in some way in their menus but Molecular Air n Bar was the only restaurant, which was based entirely on this theme. It was a concept of Manish Sharma’s three years ago and at that time Molecular Gastronomy was trending in a big way. It was a new concept among bars for which Gurugram is famous for; cool ambience with machine guns and chemistry on a glass wall.”
“The food which was offered when the restaurant was launched was based on molecular gastronomy techniques and fusion food. Today, however, the food is very different in terms of its flavours and trying to revive our old classics with our signature twists.”
According to Chef Dheeraj Dargan, Executive Chef, Comorin, “It did gain popularity at the beginning across all spectrum of diners, but as restaurants mushroomed all across the country 'specialising' in molecular food, it started to be perceived as '"Gimmicky Food". As it is said, half knowledge is worse than ignorance, in pursuit of molecular food, a lot of chefs lost focus on the flavour and taste. Food had become "Instagramable commodity'. Today's serious diners are looking for interesting dishes, new flavours and unique combinations.”
Speaking about the techniques used and whether as a concept molecular food is completely out, Chef Dargan feels that “The so-called 'chemicals' are actually not chemicals. They are of biological origin and in a purified form, which increases their potency levels. The raw materials are either extracted from marine, plant, animal or microbial. All the ingredients used are as per stringent international food regulations. Diners need to be educated in this context, as a lack of proper information leads to wrong beliefs in their minds. Molecular food, if done by a trained chef, is completely safe for consumption.”
Even Ankur Chawla feels that the concept, still, isn’t totally out and in fact, may be getting back into vogue again. “I don’t think it is going to phase out completely but as I mentioned the right techniques will definitely stay. Subtle use of molecular elements which enhances the taste and presentations of the dish or the drink will stay back. It attracts people of all ages, especially the millennial who love experimenting and are always looking for experiences beyond just tasty food. In facts, these days with the master chefs’ competitions and star chefs around, it is expected out of them to push the boundaries and molecular plays a big role here. However, I won’t deny the fact that people definitely prefer more real food than molecular.”
Chef Vaibhav Bhargava says, “When it comes to experimentation, we all know about our limitations and it’s the same case with food when something becomes too often at every place, the craze of that things goes out and the same thing happened with the molecular gastronomy.”
Many chefs who were not trained in these techniques were also trying to make their mark because of which customers have had a bad impression about the food and the techniques used to make them. “The use of chemicals also rendered it unhealthy and today’s consumer is well-travelled and far more health conscious. The result is that these days molecular food is completely out of fashion and only a few people are still using this technique in some of their dishes,” says Chef Vaibhav.
Since molecular food is mostly out, restaurants need to reposition themselves according to new tastes. Some will continue to use acceptable norms of molecular techniques and ingredients because it looks great and has a great appeal when it comes to a light taste of a bubble or a foam and things like that. When asked about his plans, Manish Sharma says, “As a brand, we are now growing and focussing more on the good, sincere food and bring new innovative dishes to our customers. We always change the menu every four months and bring something new that would make the experience memorable at every single visit. To do reposition ourselves, we are focusing on a lot of marketing activities as well as on food menus where we are trying to revive the old dishes and bring back traditional grains, which were used earlier in regular cooking, but are now getting extinct slowly.”
According to Dheeraj, “The biggest challenge in doing molecular food is the project cost of the kitchen. To truly achieve molecular food to the level of Fat Duck or Alinea, the equipment required cost a bomb. The number of chefs required in the kitchen to do molecular food increases manifold as compared to a traditional kitchen. The icing on the cake is the ingredient cost. Since all the ingredients are imported, by the time they reach the chef, their cost had multiplied by ten. All of this leads to a low return on investments and hence restaurants end up in losses.”
Ankur adds here, “It isn’t completely out of style but elements of the same can be seen in a lot of food and beverage outlets. However, I won’t deny the fact that people definitely prefer more real food than molecular. I strongly believe that one has to be super-skilled to use Molecular in the right way and one's understanding of the same has to be very strong. Not so long ago, Molecular became a trend and almost everyone started to test his hands on Molecular food, not realizing that chefs or mixologists have gone through a lot of training, learning and hard works before they started dishing out some of the outstanding gastronomical creations.”
For many of these reasons, there has been a slight shift in India from the Molecular trend and as Chef Dheeraj nicely sums it up, “Diners in India are not very experimental yet as compared to their counterparts in the western world. Molecular food ended up as just a phase and not a revolution in India at least.”
Wok Tok is a pan-Asian speciality restaurant that blends in the best of Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and Chinese culinary excellence. The restaurant is located at The Grand New Delhi where Executive Chef Anuj Kapoor has been preparing the most intricate and significant time-consuming broths. These broths take anywhere between 6 to 12 hours to be ready. Bursting with flavours, they are then married with the choicest speciality ingredients flown in from Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
“Ramen is arguably one of the most intricate preparations, with substantial time-consuming broths that are both intense and delicate at the same time.”
~Executive Chef Anuj Kapoor
In a candid conversation with Restaurant India, Executive Chef of The Grand New Delhi, Anuj Kapoor speaks about the importance of maintaining the authentic flavours, especially at pan-Asian restaurants, while serving soups to the diners.
Ramen is an authentic Japanese preparation and it’s quite a wave now, worldwide. It’s much popular among people in Japan and the US, and now is entering the European market as well. People are going gaga over ramen. Most of the versions of ramen that I had tasted in India are the shoddy versions of thupka. The broth is the building block of the ramen. The beauty of real ramen lies in the potency and intricacy of its broth or the stalk, which has to be treated with an utmost sanctity. I am right now doing six varieties of ramens at Wok Tok, the Pan-Asian restaurant at The Grand New Delhi. Each one has a separate, dedicated broth. For example, the sea food’s ramen has a broth made of lots of shellfish, crabs, prawn heads and shells, and lobster head in the water. It takes two hours, beyond that if you boil, the broth turns bitter.
A sweet direction is given to the seafood ramen. I had added celery, carrots and fennel bulbs. It’s not sweet in taste, but in flavours. Six-eight hours are required to create the broths. They are very intricate. When I talk about the chicken ramen, in every sip of the broth you will taste the meat. Shitake Mushrooms Gyoza or the dim-sums have the chicken fillings inside; there is a veg version of Gyoza too. Tofu version of ramen is also there; the filling is chicken mince. I have added a twist in Pad Thai by infusing Thai flavours; even the noodle changes. The noodle here is flat rice noodle, and the broth has Thai herbs. It has Kafir lime and lemongrass. I have used intense flavours. I had used straw mushroom which is rare.
Must Read: Four On-Trend Soups at Restaurants in India
I have used artisanal soya sauce which is still being made in a few parts of Japan. There, the sauce is made in a very manual and a home-style manner wherein they have these huge wooden screens, a big pit in the house where soya bean is fermented; the sauce is made with fermented toasted soya beans. The slurry from the pit is taken out after weeks or months, and even years, and then placed on the wooden trays or screens where they are pressed manually to get the extract. As compared to the industrial preparations of the sauce, the artisanal soya gives a much better rounded-off flavour rather than sharp, salty.
Ramen trends have only begun to catch up. Only very few people have introduced the ramen so far. But India has been the land of Tibetan food of thupkas. Traditionally, India is not a soup country. We don’t really have more soups that we could speak of. Mulligatawny is supposedly a soup from Andhra and is internationally acclaimed. But that’s the only soup you can think of. Others are tamatar dhaniya ka shorba, dal ka shorba. We, Indians, do not eat course wise, traditionally. In the past two generations, people have opened up to international influences. It is still a long way for other cuisines to happen in India at a mass scale. But Chinese (Sino-Ludhianvi, Chinjabi), Italian, Thai and then others are happening slowly. Tibetan has been long enough here for people to love their dim sums, noodles, and soup on a mass scale. Thupka and ramen are examples of noodle soup. I think it’s only an evolution of the model soup phenomenon.
There will be more focus on organic, fresh and locally-sourced produce. I see a reduction in the processed veggies at least in the high-end circuits. The processed foods start from the uppermost edge of the spectrum and then filter down to upper-middle, middle and then lower-middle class. Right now, the processed foods in terms of fresh veggies, the perishables, have had their stay with the top echelon of the society. It will filter now to upper and lower-middle class where it will find huge volumes. But the upper echelons, due to the health reasons, will see a decline in using the processed veggies and will move towards the fresh produce.
The processed veggies industry will see much more massive consumption among the middle class. Processed food is something very different and is not going out of fashion any time soon.
Indian food service sector has witnessed many new changes and is going through a revolution when it comes to new and exciting food trends. FICCI-PwC came up with five coolest trend to watch out in 2019. Here are the lists:
#Ethnic cuisine to be present in organised and hygienic set-ups: Haldiram and Bikanervala are a case study for the marketing of ethnic food to customers in an organised set-up. Both have successfully transitioned form being small-time sweet shops to full-fledged quick service restaurants (QSRs). In the fine or casual dining space as well, regional cuisine restaurants are slated to come up. It is expected that food from states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Kashmir will flood the Indian restaurant market. More and more restaurants will come up focusing on cuisines from the North East, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh.
#Food tech will continue to ‘organise the unorganised’: The entry of food tech start-ups has led to a massive transformation of the operations of restaurant sector. In 2015, the food-tech sector in India went through a period of turmoil when several start-ups had to shut down. This was followed by a period of consolidation and correction. The situation turned for the better in 2017 as food-tech companies fine-tuned their business models and improved their unit economics. The food tech space saw investment worth US$370 million in 2017–18, up from US$70 million in 2016–17, which is more than 400% growth. With more than 900 food delivery start-ups in the country, the focus now is on expansion and introducing food and experience innovations. Keeping the focus on consumers, smart curation and personalisation will rule the roost over the next 18 months. The success of a food delivery platform is a function of convenience, reliability and selection.
#Restaurants will increasingly focus on consumer engagement using technology : Nowadays, technology has become a basic prerequisite to ensure that operations are carried on seamlessly, and the restaurant industry is no different. This sector too has impacted by the wave of technological innovations, which have taken restaurant operations to a new height.
Point of sale (PoS) systems: Restaurant PoS systems are already popular, and a majority of restaurants are using the restaurant management system to their advantage. Till now, restaurant management systems were more geared towards automating and optimising restaurant operations with little emphasis on customer management. A major trend in future will be delivering a more customised and personalised guest experience.
Automated marketing: Restaurants are now increasingly focusing on customer retention and engagement. The year 2018 saw an upsurge in personalised offers and discounts being offered to customers. This high level of customisation allows restaurants to optimise their marketing campaigns and generate better results.
Social media: Before the revolution of the internet, Facebook, YouTube vlogs and ‘live videos,’ chefs and restaurateurs made it big through books and TV. Now thanks to social media, they have better and more approachable ways to reach a home audience. Owing to lack of time and fast-paced lifestyles, people began to turn to YouTube instead of cookbooks to learn cooking or to watch a celebrity chef’s live videos or vlogs instead of TV shows. As the popularity of this medium increased, a new breed of online chefs appeared.
Use of tablets: Another innovation in recent times has been physically bringing technology to the customer’s table. Diners can now sit down and pick up a tablet rather than a menu and order online rather than depending on the waiter or waitress.
Bill split option at table: Enabling customers to view, split and pay their bills at the table using their smartphones saves them time and improves table turns and productivity.
#Traditional packaging will make way: With millennial spending still ramping up, food manufacturers and retailers have already begun to reshape their marketing strategies in order to cater to millennials. This essentially means that a product needs to trend globally (as millennials are globally connected) and be digitally accessible and unique (as millennials increasingly shop online) and ‘socially sexy’ (have an ‘Instagram appeal’ that offers the purchaser social status). Due to an increasing importance of these factors and the fact that prices across brands and retailers are mostly at par, creating a unique brand that targets core beliefs and behaviours of millennials is vital.
#Health and wellness will continue to ride high on consumer preferences: Overall, the health and wellness food service industry will continue to grow as consumers become more conscious about their diet by trying to eat healthy, going for farm-to-table lunches, growing their own garden herbs, buying as much organic produce as they can afford, trying new millets and consciously avoiding junk as much as possible.
"We are seeing a shift where spaces are designed for the parents and the activities are designed for the kids."
~Clifford Warner, Chairman of entertainment strategy and leisure design agency Mycotoo.
Customer experience remained the buzzword at MAPIC this year. From the current retail trends to introducing the new gourmet concept, 8,500 delegates including over 2,000 retailers came together on the Cote d'Azur to discuss it all. MAPIC has a high influence on the retail and the real estate business. Over 80 countries came together at Cannes for the 24th edition of MAPIC 2018 to discuss how retailers and property owners are deploying new services to enhance the customer experience.
Speaking about the challenges in retail and introduction of new concepts in food and beverage (F&B) industry, MAPIC's Nathalie Depetro, said, "Clearly, retail is challenged in the current disruptive climate but what was noticeable this week was that people were talking about solutions and potential for development." Nathalie further added, "Online and offline will co-exist, new concepts in food and beverage, leisure, sport, health and entertainment will become increasingly important in the overall shopping experience and increasingly important as part of the MAPIC community." "Online and offline will co-exist, new concepts in food and beverage, leisure, sport, health and entertainment will become increasingly important in the overall shopping experience and increasingly important as part of the MAPIC community."
Also Read: The Future of Retail
One could see the Asian connect with huge participation of the brands at MAPIC 2018; an Indian pavilion was also the part of the Cannes event. With Daiso being the major sponsor, there is a speculation on more Asian F&B businesses entering the European markets. This will be a huge development in the industry.
Delegates at MAPIC held the view that entire retail real estate industry must embrace change to transform traditional shopping malls and stores into a multi-experience urban destination combining food and beverage, healthcare, new technology, leisure, sport and more.
Indoor entertainment was one of the leading stars at MAPIC exhibition halls. Therefore, it won't be wrong to say indoor entertainment will be the next big trend in the Asian market, including India. We don't have as many good suppliers in our country, but with time we, surely, will see more of the indoor entertainment at shopping malls and standalone places.
Food retail trends are something not to be missed at MAPIC 2018. Here are four key food and beverage retail trends that will hit the Indian markets soon.
When real estate players are looking at the distribution of F&B brands into their locations, there is a lot of demand for fast-casual concepts - a combination of QSR and casual dining. These are very niche concepts. The fast-casual concept gives an opportunity for brands to build the relationship with consumers. This trend of QSR will become the clear winner in the future.
Technology in the retail industry used to be about efficiency but one could see how it has surpassed that. Efficiency is just one parameter of technology. Consumer experience is one of the major components. Move over operational efficiency, data-driven technology is becoming consumer-focused. We are glad to find more technologies in the F&B industry upping the ante to serve customers better, even after the sales.
Nicolas Standaert, Founder and CEO of Nearbuy Group, advised physical stores to move from focusing only on selling. "The focus is still too much on the strategies and tactics of selling, rather than on the customers and their experiences," he said. The food and beverage are just not about providing service, but to create an experience for customers.
In a sign of how all actors in the retail business need to re-think strategies, Davide Lardera, CEO of Scalo Milano Outlet & More urged landlords to work closer with outlet retailers.
"You can no longer just be a landlord and take the rent… if you do, you are dead."
~Davide Lardera
There were lots of suppliers at MAPIC 2018 who were providing solutions to existing retail companies in F&B, and otherwise. All the large, small and mid-size players from Europe, US and Asia shared insights on how the technology is driving the food and beverage industry. That's one big connect! Moving forward, the technology in F&B will be dominant.
This year veganism, vegetarianism and eating healthy are really knocking the doors of the F&B industry worldwide. The community is small yet but will grow, especially, at the mature markets in Europe, the UK and the US. They have somewhere stabilized with the QSR part of it with their service. The UK supermarket chain Waitrose, recently, launched a range of new vegan products - tartar sauce, lemon mayo, pizzas, cheese and burgers. The vegan and vegetarian food and beverage are still led by independent entities; there will be exponential growth with time in India.
At MAPIC 2018, it was a delight to see the beverages brands competing with the established burger and pizza players. Coffee has always been big. Now, specialised smaller beverage concepts like chocolate and tea are coming up. Tea, yogurts and chocolates have caught the attention of various beverage brands. The yogurt and tea concept are quite Asian. There is a lot of diversification happening in the sub-category of beverages. That's something unique; the newer beverages concept could be a game-changer for Indian markets.
Unique concepts, speciality tea cafes like bubble teas, finer teas, chocolate beverages (with the healthy options of the chocolates from Belgium and France) remained the spotlight too.
We are not a heavy coffee-drinking culture. So, these concepts are interesting, especially, for markets in India. Although the international market is still coffee-led, the trend of the speciality beverage is picking up. The beverage brands have also combined these concepts with healthy eating as well. That's a good connect!
Edited by Sara Khan, Feature Editor, Restaurant India.
Hospitality remains fun for Arjun Sagar Gupta who has been serving the food and beverages from last seven years. He firmly believes in doing things perfectly or else not doing it. A hard working man who works seven days a week and creates fun in food followed by his passion which is music, read what he has to say on his new venture:
What is the concept behind The Piano Man?
I don’t actually belong with hospitality sector. I had a bakery before Piano Man which made me entered this area. The idea was to build a soothing environment because it is as important as food. We don’t just focus on food but are trying to amalgamate all the senses. Restaurant should not be complicated but simple with a pleasing experience which consumer could never forget.
Fortunately, we have phenomenal chef at our restaurant who never forgets to pour fun in food. Also, we never lose our focus from the core ideology of blending all the senses together. We do a rigorous training in improvising ourselves in a better way every time. And, of course, one of our USP is music which allows people to dwell themselves in the environment.
What is the connect with music at the restaurant?
Band is the thing which attracts footfall and the only reason why Piano Man begun. In this hassle of life music is the only thing which could connect people. Sometimes people just walk in to our restaurants for music and don’t pay a penny and we don’t mind that. 20-25 per cent of audience don’t buy anything but they create an environment and that is why music is there.
What are your expectations from the brand?
We have an interesting long term structure in mind and planning to open another outlet. The Piano Man is one of the verticals and we want to expand the brand in different verticals as well.
Do you see any competition?
I don’t worry much about the competition because actually there is no competition. Most of the brands out there are focusing on generating revenues instead of following the ideology.
Do you think evolving trends affect food service sector?
Most of the players in food industry are following trends and following automatically puts an end to the product for life. On the other hand, evolving trends create a sincere space for themselves instead of replicating other trends. Any idea which do not gimmick is here to stay and it does affect food service sector but in a good way.
What are your marketing strategies?
We have a YouTube channel where we invest lots of money and efforts. All the performances which take place at our restaurant are recorded and then uploaded there at the channel. Also we have our PR Company who keeps informing the media about what The Piano Man is up to.
What about the expansion?
We just launched The Piano Man’s bakery in which we have introduced a lot of diet product in that particular segment. We are opening our next club in October at Gurugram.
Chef Akmal Anuar is one of the leading head Chef of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Singaporean born Chef Akmal started his culinary journey at an early age helping out his parent's hawker stall, which inspired him to be a Chef. His passion on food brought him to travel around the world, searching for the perfect balance palate of Singapore, China, Japan and Europe infused dishes, delighting customers with new dining experiences. His creativity, experience and passion for food enable him to create new menu and exciting delicacies. Diners are always treated to a refined blend of culinary traditions with Chef Akmal. Exquisite dishes like Edible Stones, Oysters, Foie Gras, Octopus, Wagyu Beef and other dishes that talk to one’s five senses are his specialities.
What is the most special thing you create at your restaurant?
First of all, we create experience at our restaurant. Consumer walks in a restaurant with some expectations and then it’s up to the restaurateur itself to deliver and fulfil those. It is the only judgemental point which decides if you would get your customers back or not. And, getting them back is only possible by meeting their expectations which undoubtedly creates an unforgettable experience for customers. Secondly, maintaining consistency is important to run any business. If customer comes for the first time then make sure to please him so that he visits again to have a unique and incredible experience.
How do you define innovation at your restaurant?
We create fun with food by pouring unique ingredients in our food. Innovation should be done with food firstly instead of innovating the ambience because food is the core of any restaurant.
Name us a recipe that everyone should know?
We have introduced an ice cream called ‘kadak ice cream’. It is inspired by the Indian ‘kadak masala chai’. We have transformed that tea into the ice cream and tried our best to create a unique experience.
How restaurateurs should tackle the evolving trends in F&B industry?
Trends keep changing because it is the only thing which drives this industry. To tackle this trend changing situation, restaurateur needs to focus on what they do perfectly and then do that thing only. But innovation should not be left out if they actually want to create an unforgettable experience.
Being a Chef, what are your administrative and creative aspects?
Administrative is when one pays the staff on time, takes care of the employees and handles management properly. And, creativity is crucial for our profession but then creativity should also be followed by sense in it. Over doing anything just hampers the work. As a Chef, one needs to find the balance.
What will you be cooking this year?
We will focus on keeping it simple this year and of course with an injection of creativity in it. We do not intend to play it safe but we will focus more on what people want from us.
NEW DELHI: The world’s largest QSR chain McDonald’s informed India’s National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday that settlement of a long-standing dispute with Vikram Bakshi, its joint venture partner for the north and east, is “not possible.”
MIPL’s stand was taken on record by NCLAT, which had on 25 August asked both parties to try and settle the disputes that had led to the estrangement and keep the 169 McDonald’s outlets they operate in north and east India open and running while the talks are on.
The NCLAT also issued a notice to the parties to file their replies.
McDonald’s India had filed a petition with NCLAT on August 23, challenging a National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) order that had reinstated Bakshi as the MD of Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd (CPRL). CPRL is a 50:50 joint venture between McDonald’s India and Bakshi. In 2013, Bakshi was removed from the post, following which he had approached NCLT.
On August 21, the American chain has terminated its franchise agreement with CPRL, which operated 169 restaurant outlets in India. Within 15 days of the termination notice, CPRL will cease rights to use McDonalds’s name, system, trademark, designs and its associated intellectual property, among other things. The outlets have time to run till September 6.
The Indian food processing industry accounts for 32 per cent of the country’s total food market, one of the largest industries in India and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth. Food industry has been successful but maintaining that success is the real drudgery. To maintain the stature and brand in top position a lot of hard work is poured in it. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind to maintain success in restaurant business.
Maintaining Supply Chains
“System for supply chains is extremely bad in India but the restaurateurs and operators need to fix it by creating awareness amongst the farmers, vendors and suppliers. They must ensure the quality by keep checking if the ingredient is being grown from the same farm where it is supplied from. So that way, they have to develop the farmers and producers as well,” says Chef Alok Anand, Executive Chef at JW Marriott, Kolkata. This initiate should be taken and it’s not the long time before it starts.
Laws
The primary areas of concern for the food and beverage industry, as pertains to the law, are product safety claims, accurate labelling and advertising, and food import regulations. Other practice areas that often cross over with food and beverage law include contract, business laws, distribution networks, agricultural laws, personal injury, international trade laws, and many others. “Not only the 31 licences which you need to start up a restaurant but every month there would be someone at your door knocking you and asking, ‘Do you have this to run a restaurant?’ So there is no website which informs people what to do to start up a restaurant. Operating cost is also high which put the energy down sometimes,” says Jaspal Singh Bindra, Proprietor at Punjabi Kadhai, Siliguri. Uniform National Policy should be created for restaurant licensing.
Right Location
Choose carefully the area, where you are going to set your restaurant up, who all are your competitors in the area, check their menu to make room for yourself, where you can extend your wings. Check how far is the market, or how easily the supplier can supply the raw materials and things which are needed on daily basis. Also one needs to see how the crowd is in that area, where people prefer eat out often, like areas such a next to shopping malls, super markets, or community centres.
Engage With Social Networking
Connect with the customer. If you have not heard of Face Book, MySpace or Twitter that are behind the social networking phenomena, you must not waste anymore time, go straight to these sites and understand how these sites that are capturing millions of people who are actively engaging on these sites every day. These sites work because social networking communities need to share and want to know what their circle of friends and relatives are up to. Find out how you can leverage the engagement and sharing of your content using these social networks.
Maintaining Consistency
Maintaining success is not everyone’s cup of tea. People come to fine dine restaurants to take a break from routine life and pamper their senses. Whereas food satisfies one sense, that is taste. Hence why not please their three senses, (that are sight, smell, taste), when you can. Once they feel good about the restaurant, they are going to come again and again. It is not a one time affair. Thus it is important to maintain consistency.
Food is a social and cultural marker which is tied to much symbolic meaning in our society. The diversity of recipes, ingredients and processes which we have access to is unique in its breadth and diversity. Design and innovation of these traditional recipes for modern Indian dining is also growing in its popularity globally as well as its reach in India’s metros. The food industry, which is currently valued at US$ 39.71 billion, is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent to US$ 65.4 billion by 2018.
Several global brands such as Mc Donald’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC have entered the Indian market and rapidly altered their products to suit the Indian palate. However, the same has not been acquired for Indian brands abroad. “It is important for products to incentivize and make fun each visit by paying heed to customer quirks. A good example can be found in Japan, where opening your mouth wide to swallow a burger is considered very rude and unattractive for women. Burger king on the other hand in Japan offers a hands free gadget for eating a burger. These quirky innovations and design interventions provide that much needed incentive to consumers in constantly visiting back again,” says Chef Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef at ITC.
Food Eradicates Unemployment
Secondly, what is achieved from positioning traditional Indian food. As Indian food comes in all varieties and qualities, it requires an industry around it to be positioned, monetized and traded. The food industry has the unique ability to create a vast livelihood structure in each geographical area to tackle the problem of gross unemployment in India.
“Traditional Indian food is amongst the best in the world but still hasn’t got its full due. There is so much to learn and savour from our cuisine and we need to promote it, irrespective of any physical boundaries. Traditional Indian food is so good, everybody needs to experience it,” avers Celebrity Chef Sanjay Kapoor.
Ethnic food has become serious business. It has made deep inroads into the global metropolitan culture all over the world. It has become a marker of the width of one’s cosmopolitan experience. Ethnic food has a public concern now occupies the same place that health food did three decades ago. Because everyone is looking for newer, stranger and rarer kinds of ethnic cuisine available in the global metropolitan culture has proliferated enormously in the last twenty years.
Culinary Heritage
“India’s food culture will go a long way in fulfilling the urgent need to archieve the recipes that drive our vast culinary heritage. These recipes otherwise would have lost in the passage of time. It is also an important vehicle to introduce the world India’s biggest soft power- Its wealth of gastronomy,” says Sourish Bhattacharya, Co- founder, Tasting India Symposium.
Food is a unique form of entertainment because of the approachability it offers coupled with the basic human need to eat. It has the ability to touch lives because of the connectivity that comes with eating, drinking and feeding the people we love. It can break down cultural, religious and social divides and connect us on a vital platform and engage all divergent members of our society if we understand the binds that hold us together.
There has been a plethora of new concepts and food joints flooding the Indian market in the recent past. Customers are really evolving and are excited about all the new deeds happening in the industry. The food industry which is currently valued at US$ 39.71 billion is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11 per cent to US$ 65.4 billion by 2018.
Coming Back To The Regional Taste
People have realised that identifying specific needs and wants of the particular market segment makes the business more successful. Changing market trends in recent times have made sure businesses carve out a niche and then thrive on it. “Restaurateurs have understood that meeting customers’ requirements is the need of the hour. From the humble vada pav to sushi- sashimi and then again back to the vada pav everything has changed, people are coming back to the regional taste. That has given way to successful start-ups in the food and beverage industry,” says Chef Vibhuti Bane, Corporate Chef at Delightful Foods Pvt. Ltd. It also keeps the Indian food industry to offer the rich Indian cuisine to the international scene.
There has been an influx of more and more international food chains. Also, ingredients that were available only to the food industry are now widely available in super stores and thereby more and more people are getting exposed to a variety of food options. But people are coming back to their taste and started liking local and regional taste more than the global cuisines.
“Being an Indian I know seven items from Mexico, 11 from Italy, 13 from Lebanon but if you ask me for an item from Meghalaya, I will look at you as you have spoken a foreign language. The idea that I have gone to this pursuit in food sector was to expose the rich Indian cuisine to trace our own roots. That is why I bring Indian food to Indian people in their homes,” says Nishek Jain, Founder at 29.
Acceptance Of Local Cuisines
The Indian food market has grown over the past few years and will continue to do so at a rapid pace over the next few years due to the boom in consumer spending power, brand innovation and greater acceptance of local cuisines through internet and travel. For sure, market segment changes and people follow the trend like anything but at the end of the day; they can never forget the food which is served at their home. Trends will come and go but regional cuisine will always stay. It is a staple from which people can never get bored of.
The epicenter of dining today for guests is its ultimate taste for which they could crave and return back. People are gradually getting bored of technical beautification around food instead they prefer eating authentic to get that real flavor. Simple garnishing is more impressive to them now rather than gastronomic garnishing. Year 2017 will see a drastic change in F&B industry by shifting the focus to traditional Indian cuisine and gastronomy.
Convenience
Customer looks at convenience now a days and restaurateurs need to be smarter to please them. About 50 per cent of India's population eats out at least once in every three months and eight times in every month in bustling metros as compared to the US (14 times), Brazil (11 times), Thailand (10 times) and China (9 times)Says a recent data by ASSOCHAM. Customers are sold on convenience and if a customer could get grocery on his doorsteps then it is quite obvious for him to demand food on his couch as well. This convenience trend has many customers who do not want to leave the comfort of their home; they now want restaurants to deliver food to them.
Technology
Absolutely, technology has made a lot of things easier and a lot of things possible. Today, we are capable to talk about the techniques like “3D printed food” which is still in its early stages, or “sous vide” cooking which is already very popular and helps preserve the natural identity of ingredients. Molecular gastronomy started with simple techniques like spherification which has been in practice in food processing industry for quite some time, and there are many more advanced techniques that continue to be borrowed from the food processing industry. “There are cafes that can offer coffee roasted to order, there has been a great leap in beverage industry as well. We witness a new microbrewery open up every month. Technology has been a great facilitator. Also on the payment management front e-wallets have become very common and save a lot of time,” says Chef Ashutosh Kumar, Pastry Chef at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the same time we as chefs have the responsibility to use technology wisely and not overdo it, so that food stays closer to nature rather than becoming completely artificial, he adds further. At the same time we as chefs have the responsibility to use technology wisely and not overdo it, so that food stays closer to nature rather than becoming completely artificial.
Online Marketing
Online marketing sounds like a generic term but let’s be honest this term is not as simple as it sounds. Digital marketing is not only restrained to SEO search Engine Optimization, it’s a jumble of several technicalities which many of us are not aware of. The modern entrepreneur comprehends the vast impact of digital marketing on any business and how it triggers the mindset of their targeted audience. By putting yourself on online directories will increase your exposure a lot more in your locality. This will help your targeted audience to reach you. “Social media is like a digital hub where majority of our ideal audience hangout, so having a strong social media strategy will help you generate more consumers. Your strategy will include posting of videos, running contests, engaging and inspiring images, it will help your consumers to reach you and they will also promote you through their social media accounts,” says Chetan Kaul, Co- founder at Dudleys.
To Reinvent
There are few trends that stand out and also there is a definite shift of unorganized market to organized one which is good news. It might be steady right now but it is surely going to stay. Therefore the organized sector are up for more consumers but competition is ultra huge in this sector. Restaurateurs need to be bit more smart while placing the menu and deciding the price to maintain an upper hand in the competitive market.
To Maintain Supply Chains
“System for supply chains is extremely bad in India but the restaurateurs and operators need to fix it by creating awareness amongst the farmers, vendors and suppliers. They must ensure the quality by keep checking if the ingredient is being grown from the same farm where it is supplied from. So that way, they have to develop the farmers and producers as well,” says Chef Alok Anand, Executive Chef at JW Marriott, Kolkata. This initiate should be taken and it’s not the long time before it starts.
Chef Abhishek Basu is a trendsetter who constantly works upon the strategies to come up with scrumptious food recipes and surprise palates in an enticing way every time. Food started when his mother took him to a market called ‘New Market’ in Kolkata and he chose a cooking set over other toys there. That was the day when his mother realised that he has something to do with food and the journey in food service sector started. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
What made you choose hospitality?
Food is my passion since forever and it’s been 16 years with hospitality industry. I have started my education in this industry with Army College of Hotel Management, Bengaluru and thereafter chosen by The Park Hotels as a Management Trainee. I have been with The Park Hotels at various locations including Delhi, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Chennai and now back to Delhi.
Which is your favourite ingredient to play with?
I generally work with seasonal ingredients and organic food and love to play with basil (Indian tulsi). Organic food is one of the biggest trends now days as people today are unquestionably aware of what they are eating. As they are educated, they know automatically what’s going inside their body. They have switched to healthy food and it is difficult for them as well to go back to the unhygienic food. Also, the health benefits of organic food are huge that they automatically reduce the medical bills.
Do you think new market segments affect food service sector?
Yes definitely it is. Food sector has grown over the period of time and this industry keeps re-inventing itself to challenge its own record. Of course, the ethos of food remains the same but it is more about how one innovates that every day.
Which is the latest trend hitting the market according to you?
Organic eating and seasonal producing are definitely in. Gone is the trend when people used to like something off seasonal. Now they tend to understand that there are certain things which taste the best when seasonal and organic.
What builds a brand in food industry according to you?
Taste is the foremost of any business and then how one position himself in the market. A lot of research should be done on the trend, consumer’s expectations and aspirations, about the industry and much more before jumping into the field. The best thing which has happened over the period of time is now chefs understand customer’s need. They have actually come to the customer’s level to present them their requirements. Customers hate monotony and one should keep changing the menu to keep the business growing.
How do you see the competition between restaurants?
Restaurateurs need to understand that there is no point opening same themed restaurants here and there and try to challenge each other. Instead open different kinds of restaurants to divide competition and grow.
What are the points which should be avoided in this industry?
An improper research could hamper the business. What if there’s no requirement of opening a restaurant at the place where one wants to. It would shut down in a year. A proper home work should be done to understand the need of the hour.
Can we see you opening a restaurant of your own?
Hopefully, yes very soon but as of now I’m very happy growing with The Park Hotels.
The food industry, which is currently valued at US$ 39.71 billion, is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent to US$ 65.4 billion by 2018. Food and grocery account for around 31 per cent of India’s consumption basket.
Food industry has shown tremendous growth as it contributes around 14 per cent of manufacturing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 13 per cent of India’s exports and six per cent of total industrial investment. Indian food service industry is expected to reach US$ 78 billion by 2018.The Indian gourmet food market is currently valued at US$ 1.3 billion and is growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20 per cent. India's organic food market is expected to increase by three times by 2020.
According to the statistics, undoubtedly there is a gigantic increment in eating out culture and factors like restaurant audits is add on to maximise revenues and take the business to the next level. It helps to optimise all the resources and maximise the yield which is the end objective of every restaurateur. Investors in the manufacturing sector ensure that all their machines work as effectively as possible and that the machine operators are trained to maximise output. It should be no different in the hospitality sector where a regular restaurant operational audit can uncover so many opportunities to positively manipulate revenue and to control revenue costs. But experience has shown us that restaurateurs can spend their days jumping from one operational task to another, missing these opportunities and leaving a lot of easy profit on the table. “Restaurateurs need to understand their duties and responsibilities and it are their foremost responsibility to give a food safety check on the food which is being served on customer’s table. Gone are the days when people used to enjoy water-balls on the street with vendor dipping his hand into the water. Now customers have the choice to opt for mineral water and other hygienic things which show things are changing,” says Kapil Malhotra, Founder & Chairman of the Total Solutions Group.
Role of Audit
Government has introduced some perplexed laws which restaurateurs need to know and implement accordingly. The role of audit is to provide solutions to the restaurants i.e., what do they need to do, how should they handle things at their restaurant and there is a full check list which they advise their clients. “What we do is we go to their kitchens once or twice a month and do spot audit then advise them on how food should be handled and then how it should be prepared to serve the customer an unforgettable experience. One of the key strategies of audit is how does a restaurant structure the plan and help restaurants to increase foot fall and maximise profit. Audits structure their reports in a way so that restaurants could examine themselves. Also it gives the preaching to the servers or waiters to serve the customers in the best way every time,” adds Malhotra.
Restaurant operational audit starts from the farm and goes to the fork. So it includes everything right from procurement, storage, preparation, processing and cooking of raw materials to procurement, processing and storage, serving, sale and display of cooked food. Audit goes through a whole detailed check list which every restaurateur should be aware of. The idea of audit is whenever a food inspector knocks at a restaurant’s door; restaurant needs to be well prepared before.
Suved belongs to a hardcore family business background who loves making people happy. He was doing events since the age of 18 and realised that hospitality industry is his calling. He is a student of life who learns from people.
How do you see hospitality at HopScotch?
At hopscotch it’s about being honest and I actually think that one’s attitude towards patrons should be honest. Hospitality and hopscotch both are all about service after all and by being honest one can create a niche’ in this competitive business. Restaurateurs can’t afford to have a bossy attitude because at the end of the day, customer is the boss in hospitality industry.
How much efforts you have put into it?
I’m thirty five and still putting efforts into it.
What are your expectations from this brand?
My expectations are undoubtedly very high as we have started looking for expansions already. The whole idea behind hopscotch is nostalgia. We are the generation who were introduced to Internet rather than being born to Internet. We have been through that time when going out, playing and enjoying was fun, hopscotch brings that time back. It makes people dwell into nostalgia and my expectations with hopscotch is when people think to eat out for having a quality time without any noise and drama then hopscotch should be the first name to be clicked in their minds.
How do you see your restaurant?
Hopscotch brings the food which we have grown up eating i.e., butter chicken, thai curry, et cetra. Therefore, we have introduced all the time favourite dishes of customers which also fetch back the nostalgia. The service which we are giving is impeccable, we always assure to be there for our customers and we also have the speciality to serve the order in five to seven minutes. We try to please our customers in an ambience where they get good food in couple of minutes, have quality time with their loved ones and can be nostalgic at the same time.
Which is your special dish to bring an instant smile on customer’s face?
We are specialised with ‘tadka chicken’ and ‘butter chicken’ which is in the hot favourite list of people.
How do you see the competition?
Competition is assuredly tough. We are trying to create a niche’ but there are places opening every second day. That is why I keep saying that one needs to be honest with the product and of course one should keep the Indian price sensitive market in mind because. If you are not creating a value for money product with stupendous service experience and alluring ambience then you are over. Earlier it was about reinventing the restaurant yearly but now it’s about reinventing daily to maintain that upper hand in the market.
How changing market segments affect food service sector?
I think if restaurateurs be less pretentious about food and concentrate more on flavours and taste; it’s going to stay then. At the end of the day, Indians want something fruitful and as long as restaurateurs maintain that flavour, people will keep coming back to them.
What are your marketing plans?
It’s a database that I have created over the time as I have been in this industry from last 7 years. It’s kind of networking over the years. We use digital media as one of the strongest tools to market our product and at the end of the day we make every customer feel special and then words of the mouth play the game.
What are your expansion plans?
Yes I’m opening bars but I’m focusing on small restaurant chains for now because food will never go out of fashion. And if it’s about hopscotch, then we are thinking of opening another outlet in Andheri, Mumbai in the next three months.
In the 21st century, one can’t deny the power of social media. Social media actually works but it is an irony that many restaurants don’t know how to make most out of it. Spending INR 300 daily on social media could lead to an increment of 300 per cent revenue. “In Chicago, all restaurants have their own food trucks and they do not have standardised technology with navigations and trackers. All they do is to market their product on social media,” avers Avelo Roy,Managing Director at Kolkata Ventures. That is how every major restaurant is making most of the money. The young Indian generation do not like to wait for anything. They want everything instant like a touch on screen and food is at doorsteps and technology has made that possible. There are examples where restaurants have put their money in technology and they are making money today.
Merging Experience with Technology
Restaurant Industry is all about experience and entwining of experience and technology with artificial intelligence can do wonders in this particular sector. It would be a gift to the people exactly what they want. “One of the interesting things with a brand called ‘Panera’ is that their online system is not only about generating revenue but one of the biggest assets is the data that they are earning. People are connecting there via facebook and that is how the data about their likes and dislikes flows,” adds Roy. This kind of technology also provides customer the access to pass his suggestion and advice to the restaurant which in turn helps restaurant to serve them better.
Why not Outsourcing
Those who are not much aware about technology and outsource their social media handle to some other organization or media firm can do that by their own even in a better way. “You as the owner should know the intricacies of social media market because it is incredible to understand your market face to face. It is your business and nobody can understand it better than you. Some big organizations have stopped putting their advertisements on television because now they are putting all their marketing budgets into social media. They are one on one responding to people via social media and it makes a personal connect which you can’t do on television,” says Roy. Social media is all about directly connecting with the customer. It is the best kind of market research where customer can actually tell what they want from a restaurant. Serving a customer according to the restaurant’s menu is an old thing now. Time is changing so as the restaurant industry. Restaurants need to evolve themselves as per customer’s requirements.
Customers do not walk in a restaurant for the menu, every other restaurant has fancy menu today but the thing which matters is the service you offer them. And, social media is an extensive platform to make them understand why they should visit your restaurant. Every business is doing marketing via social media then why should food business left? One just needs to figure out who the customer is and then hit the bull’s eye. Target the audience directly and it doesn’t even cost more than INR 1 on 1 person. It is dense to do business without networking and social media is being monetised now days. Social media is like talking and if you can make your business talk able then it would spread like herpes.
Restaurant business has always been an industry depending heavily on consumer preferences. As a restaurateur it becomes crucial to understand what a customer of today and tomorrow expects when he goes to eat out. “In past 18 years, we have seen a huge change in restaurant industry. The first 12 years were the years of smooth selling and suddenly the whole pattern changed because there were millennial and it is a drudgery to impress them. The aspirations were growing up and needs were changing. We realised that whole market has changed and driven by youngsters and of course we also had to reinvent then,” avers Anurag Katriar, CEO at DeGustibus Hospitality.
To Reinvent
There are few trends that stand out and also there is a definite shift of unorganized market to organized one which is good news. It might be steady right now but it is surely going to stay. Therefore the organized sector are up for more consumers but competition is ultra huge in this sector. For example, Drinking out is perhaps the foremost reason for people to walk in to a restaurant. Earlier it was quite easy because people used to go out for food and drink was something incidental but now the situation is vice versa. Food was the clear differentiator then but how would someone differentiate in X restaurant’s Chivas Regal and Y restaurant’s Chivas Regal. It’s one and the same thing. Restaurateurs need to be bit more smart while placing the drinking menu and deciding the price to maintain an upper hand in the competitive market.
Cafes’ are the New Trend
In early 2000s there were not many places where people can casually hang out and relax. Everything was about being dressed up and getting noticed which has undoubtedly changed over the period of time. “Over the years, social networking sites developed people in a different way. Bars probably used to generate revenue on weekends earlier but now they are doing fine on week days as well. So, people assuredly want to go out, sit with their friends and want to spend some quality time that has made big change in today’s market,” says Khodu Irani, Founder, High Spirits.
Technology
Technology is definitely an imperative part of food service sector as consumer today has become convenient friendly. It has benefited the industry and even changed the entire perspective of understanding a consumer’s behaviour. “Things have changed drastically as compared to before. For example, Reservation was something unpopular in 2012 but now people want to reserve a table before going out. We launched this way back in 2012 and now we are hosting more than 3000 diners on a monthly basis,” says Sahil Jain Co-founder, Dineout. Point is that industry is moving in the direction where people want more convenience.
Implementing Dynamics
India is a diverse country and every part has different taste so as the pricing. Gone are the days when restaurants used to decide the menu, it is decided as per customer’s choice now days. “Market is changing because the customers are changing. They are more understanding, extremely demanding and moreover they have social media. Restaurateurs are now realising that they are absolutely a service industry,” adds Tanaya Sheralea, Director of Operations, Bellona Hospitality. Restaurant industry has to consider customer’s preference to maintain supremacy in the market.
Restaurateurs today are trying to expand their reach. Local restaurants are going international and international brands are focusing on local areas. Restaurant business is a consumer business and wherever you go consumption does not stop. Hence, restaurants these days have great opportunities.
Formula to Manage Growth
Any restaurant either small or big has the same goal and responsibility, making a successful business. And, to make your business you need resources which come from people, process and system. And even above them one needs righteous process because it converts these two into product and product is what one sells. Managing multiple brands together is just a matter of priority and capability to manage everything.
“Fifteen years ago, we started with fine dining and then introduced 12 restaurants with bakeries and today we are 170 restaurants. Our business is divided into three clear arms-bakery and cafe’, organized Chinese and the fine dine,” says Reynold Fernandes, CEO at Oriental Cuisines Pvt. Ltd. It’s good to have a restaurant in Delhi and Mumbai but at the same time having a restaurant in Coimbatore and Orissa is also pretty nice because at the end of the day you’re feeding people. You’re into the business of consumption and consumptions are happening every day.
Making Global Brand Local
Many brands like McDonald’s, KFC, Subway entered into Indian food market and suited Indian palate very well. So bringing global brands to India and moulding them according to Indian palate is the key. “It is not only important to localise the product according to Indian taste but it is also important to localise the product according to the regional taste,” adds Karan Tanna, CEO at Yellow Tie Hospitality. India is a diverse country unlike America where beef burger is common from east to west but here you’ll find different spices, cuisines, requirements and approaches towards food in different parts of the country. It is always safe to maintain a balance in serving a standardised product because at last it is your brand. “We have tried to bring regional taste in our product, we introduced palak paneer burger, schezwan noodle burger etc to meet customer’s aspiration,” he adds further.
When Brand Travels to another City
Getting a skilled labour and to retain them afterwards is the foremost challenge while moving to another city. “India being price sensitive has always been a fear to businessmen plus presenting a combination of quality with tight budget is no less than an uphill battle. It is very important to cater to the local palate,” says Kaizad Modi, Sr. Partner & Owner, REISE Hospitality LLP.
A neat business plan is a must. “Build business passionately and decide unemotionally because we are so attached to the things sometimes and that is the point where we fall. Go out with the right market plan either you’re setting up a restaurant or expanding,” adds Fernandes. One needs to be extra creative when it comes to Indian food industry.
On an average, a restaurant grosses between 28 to 35 per cent returns annually. A well run operation, where costs are kept low, can gross even up to 50 per cent, according to industry sources. Average net returns are 14-18 per cent.
The fact that restaurants fail at an alarmingly high rate, as 80 to 85 per cent shut in the first year. According to the recent studies done by Dr. HG Parsa, Professor Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, 59 per cent of hospitality facilities fail in the period of 3 years.
Whereas food service sector has shown tremendous growth over the past few years on one side, restaurant failure has become one of the foremost issues in this industry on the other. While food and grocery account for around 31 per cent of India’s consumption basket. It is a sad reality that more restaurants die than live, experts say that the ones that die are the ones that never had a chance to survive. Operationally, most restaurants make money. If the capital expenses have been very high, then your break-even period could get pushed back a little. Most reasonably run restaurants should break even in the first 12-18 months. There are many things which can go wrong with a restaurant business. But we have mentioned some of the flaws which can be fixed at the planning stage.
Over – Hyping Technology
Everyone wants to own a restaurant these days. That’s how the market is. People need to check their own trends. “Everybody is running behind molecular gastronomy and there is no difference. What I think is technology should revolve around food; food should not revolve around technology. So, technology should be only for the beautification of food so that it creates a WOW experience. If technology over rules the food then I think there is a problem and that led to the explosion of restaurants. So, I believe in creating recipes for tomorrow and that’s what I have learnt from my chefs and I feel pride owning those recipes,” says Akshay Nayyar, Celebrity Chef and Proprietor at Kopper Kadai.
Authenticity is Necessity
Indians are coming back to their roots; they really enjoy having authentic cuisine. “If one has the passion to feed people, passion to serve people, wonders can happen but one has to make sure that the cuisine is ethnic. Food is an ‘art’. It should be authentic and people could relate to the food. Also the food should be lip smacking that people can talk about,” says Anjan Chatterjee, Indian hotelier and founder of Speciality Restaurants Limited. Most of the people fail to follow this mysterious yet simple ingredient called authenticity.
Bad Location
Bad location can mean many things for a restaurant, including the neighbourhood is not according to the style of restaurant, there not enough traffic, you have a competitor nearby who serves same cuisine on low price, there is limited parking or maybe you’re just not visible from the end of the road.
Over Pricing
Over pricing of the menu at initial stage could be worse than anything. India is a price sensitive market, people are not ready to pay as easy as one thinks. To attract customers, one should rather offer discounts and schemes.
India is young and the hub for food service sector. Moving a restaurant to the restaurant enterprise could help because there are enough stomachs to feed and there are enough people to serve. One just has to get things done strategically and mindfully.
One of the most imperative factors for human existence is growth but most of the people do not know what the way forward is. And there is no fixed way around; one has to make his own way to overcome hesitation. It is prerequisite to go out, explore and get things on your way because that is how a brand builds. One has to get his hands dirty, if not now. When? If not you. Who?
Mindset to develop for growth
Every brand and business has something smashing with it which needs to expose in front of the world and which can only be happen with growth. “The capability on an organization depends upon three virtues and the first one is resource which can be bought from anywhere, second is process, it is a method which converts resources into products and that is what we sell. The most important and third virtue is priority. When it comes to scale every promoter comes into the industry with some vision. Someone is getting into it because it is a glamorous industry and they want to be a part of it, somebody is getting in to start something of their own and somebody just wants to dive into this business because it’s intensive. At the end of the day, everyone is meeting their goals,” says Reynold Fernandez, CEO-Oriental Cuisines. Adding that the reason for not scaling the brand could be either first three things or they are over aggressive and doing things wrong.
When you start something, you should know how to take things forward to sustain the business.
Challenges with New Product
It is witnessed whenever a new product is introduced then it is more difficult to scale. With every innovation there are chances that you fail. “To scale up the business, one needs to know the market and what the local market is all about. One should take his/her time to not rush and go really slow,” avers Mihir Desai, Co-Founder- The Bar Stock Exchange.
Get Over the Fear
Anything new scares people. Do not scare of International market, there is more fear in people’s mind than in the market. “Once we get over the fear that it is not what we have studied in schools and colleges or we can just do whatever we have studied till the day and that is why we can’t get into something new. Although with Tuscana Pizza we did a lot of research and then innovated this brand. I think we are one of the few brands in the world which serves pizza on four basis and unlike across the world who serves pizza based on white flour. We introduced pizza with wheat, grain and its even gluten free on the same price. That took a lot of efforts and ruthless heart to get out of the fear and expose the brand in front of the whole world no matter what,” says Vipin Sachdev, MD at Tuscana Kryptos Restaurant. Food service sector is a glamorous industry but everything has its pros and cons. Better win the fears or prepare yourself for the cons. Mistakes could be avoided when one knows what not to do than automatically they’ll end up doing what to do. The fear has to go out. One can achieve success in any industry if there is no space for fear.
Coming from the background of Chemistry and then love and passion for cooking made Chef Indrajit Saha turn into a Chef. He is an inquisitive person who loves evolving new food trends. Chef never wanted to restrict himself to be called as the specialised in one cuisine only, an explorer from the core made his path to where he stands today.
What made you chose hospitality as your career?
It was bit accidental as I have done my graduation in Chemistry and never wanted to be a Chef. My push was towards engineering side and then some day one of my uncles asked me to apply for hotel management. I had no clue about it but the day I entered the kitchen for first time, I was pretty sure to get into it. That’s when I realised to be a Chef.
What makes you stand out in food service industry?
I have worked at different places and explored various kinds of ingredients. What I have realised in those precious years that food industry has gotten incommensurable dimensions. Today food is about global perspective and my USP I would say is to create food from what’s available with a global attitude. Food is getting reinvented and I want to create different experience, I want consumer to feel connection with the food.
Which is the latest food trend hitting the market according to you?
One side, there is good food and other side presentation of that food. Both are necessary to tattoo one’s brand in consumer’s mind. Presentation of good food in a good way is the latest trend in food service industry. Food should amuse consumer and give him/her smile at the same time.
How did changing market segments affect food service sector?
Changing market segments are more of an opportunity rather than a threat in the industry as they push Chefs to innovate something more delicious. Obviously there is a lot of competition but at the same time it enhances creativity. In this industry, everyday you need to challenge yourself and innovate peculiar ideas.
How have you seen food sector growing over the past few years?
Food industry has grown aggressively in past few years. Food market has expanded a lot. Restaurateurs are bringing technology into food which helps them to market their product. People are becoming more aware and started enjoying eating out shows that food industry is going to nail the market till 2020. Food, Shelter and Clothes are the basic necessities in one’s life and if you’re doing things right in the same then you can never go wrong.
How do you maintain supply chains?
In case of supply chains, there are things which we can get from surroundings but then also there are things which need to get import. We have particular suppliers whom we inspect first. We look for the place where the product is coming from and if it’s from local then from which farm is it coming from. We do every possible quality check i.e., the speciality of that farm, the process which they follow and the production. We see the samples and once we are fine with the product then only we sign the contract with the supplier.
Can we see you opening a restaurant of your own?
I may open a restaurant. I’m in a dilemma whether I should open a restaurant or a catering school. I know there are plenty of catering schools all over the world but the reason I want to open a catering school is I feel extremely bad when I see youngsters in my kitchen who don’t even know basic things about cooking.
The ever growing food industry is setting trends day by day. The new game in the industry which is evolving aggressively is food trends. Who sets the trend? Is it the restaurateur or the customer?
The Drinks
Most of the restaurants are turning into lounges and pubs to address the need of the hour which is drinking culture. “A restaurant is not a pub and essentially food should be the highlight of a restaurant. On the other hand, what has happened today is youth is more into drinking and that is why liquor sells the most. So the top selling item on the menu is liquor instead of food,” avers Chef Milind Sovani, Celebrity Chef & Entrepreneur.
The Basics
Change is the only thing constant and trends will keep evolving. The only thing which will stay same is basic. “India is learning new stuff but without forgetting basics and classics. Those basics and classics are changing and evolving every day. They are more 2017 and improvised. Trend is something which constantly keeps one updating,” says Chef Rakhee Vaswani, Celebrity Chef Entrepreneur.
Set the Trend
Sky is the limit for setting trends. Anyone can set trend if he/she wants to and to put India into limelight one should take a stand to set new trends. “I wish everyone could turn their passion into making money. In food industry, whole trend is moving towards what you’re putting into your body. For example, if the food is processed or organic. Before bringing Safe & Saffron to existence, we travelled a lot from Leh Ladakh to Puducherry we done all our sourcing organically. The trend we have chosen is to give back to the ecosystem and I think that is what trending; giving back to the community,” says Aditi Dugar, Director at Safe & Saffron. Letting Chef doing their own things with the products available from Indian land would help promoting Indian cuisine and also would give back to the farmers.
Everything evolves with time same as food. There is no harm in experimenting with ingredients and food. If Chefs try new dishes just for the heck of it then there is no point doing that but if they are doing it passionately and outcome is lip smacking then there is no point stopping it because that is how food evolves. When we didn’t remain as old as our ancestors were then why should food remain that way?
The Fusion
Trend is about fusion as well. “I personally do a lot of fusions as per the demand of consumer so there is nothing wrong with fusion. It’s like a marriage which has to work, it should not reach to divorce,” adds Rakhee. Fusion goes wrong when an Indian Chef tries to do an Indian dish with Italian influence but if you don’t understand Italian well than how can you do a fusion with Italian influence. Thus the Chef has to be good at both the cuisines to give that fusion a shot.
The Respect
Respecting food and our own cuisine is one of the imperative factors. India produces two and a half times of grains that it needs currently to feed its own population and yet people are growing hungry. There is a huge issue towards the respectability of food, respecting country’s own produce and using it in the correct way. Those are the things should probably look as trends today.
Food Industry never stops amazing us. After showing us an ultimate growth as it is currently valued at US$ 39.71 billion, is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent to US$ 65.4 billion by 2018.
Food and grocery account for around 31 per cent of India’s consumption basket according to a report by Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). The size of total market (organized and unorganized) is INR 3,09,110 crore and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10 per cent to reach INR 4,98,130 crore by 2021.
The Statistics
The number of vegans in this country has risen by 360 per cent in the past decade, and it’s a trend driven by the young: a fifth of 16-to-24-year-olds don’t eat meat. The unorganized market holds a 67 per cent share with an estimated size of INR 2,07,635 crore. However, the share of unorganized segment is expected to fall and reach INR 2,93,950 which is an increase of 59 per cent by 2021. The organized market which includes chain outlets, organized standalone outlets and restaurants in hotels is estimated at INR 1,01,475 crore in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent to reach INR 2,04,180 crore by 2021.Global food and beverage launches with a vegetarian claim rose 60 per cent from 2011 to 2015, says a report by FMCG. In 2015 launches featuring the term “vegan” rose to account for 4.3 per cent of total introductions, up from 2.8 per cent in 2014 and just 1.5 per cent in 2012, based on Innova Market Insights data.
Now what will be the new trends in 2018 is the question. According to different reports and statistics, it is found that the quantity of vegans is increasing day by day. People are getting back to being vegetarians because many reports are saying that eating meat is detrimental to you and the environment. This trend will also increase the awareness about vegetarian food.
Vegan Trend
“Food trends in 2018 will be very much defined by what has been going on in the world within the past few years. For some time now, people have realized two things namely, we have been over eating processed food and we have been destroying the environment,” says Chef Vibhuti Bane, Corporate Chef at Delightful Foods Pvt. Ltd.
Adding the solutions to counter these two, first many will switch over to fresh food. Either buying it off the shelf or sticking to places that serve only fresh. For the second part about the environment, people will opt for more sustainable farming methods, be it meat, seafood or vegetables. In this, since meat and seafood consumption has been linked to global warming and harming your body, it will definitely decline. All this will happen due to increased consumer awareness and this will bring in a new trend, one that will stay Zero Pesticide produce. Companies like First Agro have been pioneers in leading this. We will see tremendous growth here.
To sum it up, vegetarianism and going vegan will be trending with Zero Pesticide produce. The cuisine might be whichever.
People are following the concept of eat what is available, local, fresh and seasonal and in a way to be healthy as well they have shifted to vegetarianism. 2016 has been the year of vegan and 2017 is whole heartedly welcoming the new trend of 'being vegan'.
Online marketing sounds like a generic term but let’s be honest this term is not as simple as it sounds. Digital marketing is not only restrained to SEO search Engine Optimization, it’s a jumble of several technicalities which many of us are not aware of. The modern entrepreneur comprehends the vast impact of digital marketing on any business and how it triggers the mindset of their targeted audience. In digital era, every business demands to be known digitally and for that you should follow these “5 Foremost ways to market your business Online”
Build an attractive Website
Your website is the digital face of your business, your website can either allure you targeted consumer or it can deflect them. Always make sure that your website speaks directly to its ideal audience, it’s easy to navigate, it promotes call to action, and has a smooth access for mobile and laptop users. These factors will not only generate your ideal traffic but will also make your website stand out among the millions of websites out there.
Every website has various pages which either brief or share some major factors about your business, these pages include segments like about us, contact, blog etc. Your selection of these pages can vary on your business and its niche.
Create your business Blog
Blogging of high end quality content on a regular basis will add an exceeding amount of value to your business. To create quality content for a better alliance with your audience you need to be passionate and must have an inherent knowledge of your subject.
Content marketing is a long-term strategy it will not pay off overnight, it works slowly but effectively. In Blogging you need to deliver enormous amount of content which conveys the key information about your business to keep your audience engaged. Once your blog will get a regular audience engagement it will drive traffic by achieving the interest of Google, which will result in enormous amount of sale and visibility.
List your business on local and online directories
It’s the era of internet and no one looks in to phone books or newspapers for directories. Internet has replaced heavy old directories with more improved and accessible digital directories. There are various types of directories for different businesses, for food you search on Zomato for other business your search on Just dial. By putting yourself on online directories will increase your exposure a lot more in your locality. This will help your targeted audience to reach you.
Build a strong social media presence
Social media is like a digital hub where majority of our ideal audience hangout, so having a strong social media strategy will help you generate more consumers. Your strategy will include posting of videos, running contests, engaging and inspiring images, it will help your consumers to reach you and they will also promote you through their social media accounts.
Post videos
Visuals are a very strong medium of any conversation, posting videos on your website, social media handles will engage and form a strong bond with your customers.
Your posts must have a key message for your audience and make sure that they get delivered to them. Videos must be short and meaningful as they will increase your engagement with your ideal audience. Always give importance to their feedback as it will help you to find your flaws and improve your relation with them.
In this hustle-bustle of life, noodle has become an imperative part of life. They are the instant grabbing when in rush. With the rapidly changing lifestyles over the last couple of decades, ready-to-cook and instant food brands have become almost indispensable in the urban kitchens, as they are instant to cook are no less than a delicacy for palates and get ready in such a short span of time, they are great time savers. Also they are quite lip smacking to children.
According to India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup Market Overview, the total market for instant noodles, pasta and soup is growing with more than 20% CAGR from last five years. The instant noodles market in India was growing at a healthy rate from last few years but Maggi's MSG lead controversy affected the category majorly with sales being reduced by almost 14% in the year 2015-16. As a result, other players like CG Foods and ITC Sunfeast Yippee are trying to grab a larger share of the category.
Country’s first noodle bar, Wai Wai has also joined the league and they are even focusing on expansion as well i.e., they are opening outlets across multiple markets within the sub continent. Wai Wai is coming back to the base of its home city with the roots in the heart of West Bengal, Siliguri. Wai Wai has been a famous brand among school and college students as they have proved themselves as a great good to go food. Moving forward on the path of evolution, the brand brings to you WaiWai City – a ready to eat noodlebar – giving your favourite noodles an appetizing make-over in various flavours to choose from. This is a great step and gives the consumers huge variety to choose from to satiate their palates with multiple options along with making the space a preferred nook for friends to catch up and enjoy their ready to eat snack.
The menu offers a lot of noodle dishes cooked in Oriental flavours, giving noodle lovers advanced ways to have noodles. The live kitchen has four types of noodles such as Classic, Chopsuey, Roasted and Pan Fried, seven sauces, which are, Soy Garlic, Kung Pao, Masala Fusion sauces, eighteen vegetables, and ten toppings ad five add-ons to choose from. It is an alluring experience to see every dish cooking in front of you. The 40-45 seater noodle bar in Siligur, creates a lively and inviting environment, detaching it from the city outside and provide quirky tangent with its contemporary design elements.
Instant noodles market in India is divided into two segments according to the packaging style viz. packet/pouch noodles and cup/bowl noodles. Flexible plastic packaging of packet noodles dominates the market as consumers prefer convenient packaging with affordable quantities. However, cup noodles will prove to be a trendy friend of young multitasking generation in the coming years. More than two-third sales revenue of instant noodles comes from traditional formats (kirana stores) whereas retail is growing fast and online sales are still at a nascent stage. The ready-to-cook pasta market in India is at the kind of stage that the instant noodles market was years ago.
“WaiWai City is an endeavour to bring the brand closer to its customers in a more tangible manner. We wanted to come up with something that evokes nostalgia in people, taking them back to their school and college days when Wai Wai noodles was the favourite snack. The biggest strength of Wai Wai is undoubtedly its taste; with this new format, we offer our fans a whole new world of taste and flavours. For us this is the beginning of an exciting pan India journey.”
Wai Wai offers a lot of varieties with finest flavours without burning a hole in consumer’s pocket which makes it a the go-to noodle destination.
India is gaining worldwide admiration for its tremendous growth in food and beverage industry as it is currently valued at US$ 39.71 billion, is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent to US$ 65.4 billion by 2018. Food and grocery account for around 31 per cent of India’s consumption basket according to a report by India Brand Equity Foundation. The growth of food services market in India has triggered growth across a wide range of ancillary industries, thus providing a boost to the entire ecosystem.
Every other person in India wants to open a restaurant of their own because it is one of the fastest growing sectors. But when did success come that easily. One has to face some real remonstrance to set up a restaurant. Laws are one of the back breaking works. Food services are emerging as a key contributor to the Indian economy, by means of tax generation, employment generation, and skill development, growth in the allied industries and tourism and entrepreneurship. It is imperative for the Indian government and regulators to recognize the contribution and role of the sector and help it grow and flourish.
The Laws
Food and Beverage Laws pertain to the laws of safety and distribution for the food and beverage industry. While this area of the law obviously has heavy concentration on food safety and distribution, it is also subject to laws such as the Nutrition Labelling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) and the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 (FSMA). Similarly, a wide array of regulatory agencies monitors the compliance of businesses in the food and beverage industry. These include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and a myriad of state agencies. There are also wide arrays of state and local laws that have an impact on the industry.
Areas of Concern
The primary areas of concern for the food and beverage industry, as pertains to the law, are product safety claims, accurate labelling and advertising, and food import regulations. Other practice areas that often cross over with food and beverage law include contract, business laws, distribution networks, agricultural laws, personal injury, international trade laws, and many others. “Not only the 31 licences which you need to start up a restaurant but every month there would be someone at your door knocking you and asking, ‘Do you have this to run a restaurant?’ So there is no website which informs people what to do to start up a restaurant. Operating cost is also high which put the energy down sometimes,” says Jaspal Singh Bindra, Proprietor at Punjabi Kadhai, Siliguri. Uniform National Policy should be created for restaurant licensing.
India is enjoying a wonderful roller coaster ride in food service industry. Not only Indian brands but foreign brands are also working towards taking this industry to the heights. Issues like norms and regulations could be sorted if all restaurant association bodies must be consulted before policies are formulated. Restaurateurs who are layman are witnessed to face the problem of too many governing and regulatory bodies. For which a high level empowered secretarial group can be appointed focussed on ease of doing business for the restaurant industry and moving towards a single window clearance system.
Tell us your journey in the world of food? How it all began?
It all began with being brought up in a joint family in Mumbai. Each family member had varied taste and my Grandma would cook up the most delicious of dishes for each one. Mumbai being a melting point of cultures, I grew up tasting various cuisines as a kid. This transformed into a passion with me clearing my Diploma in Hotel management from Institute of Hotel management, Catering technology and Applied Nutrition, Goa in the year 1997. From then on, it has been a culinary journey across the world with Peninsular and oriental cruises, Southampton, UK and with The Dorchester Hotel and Nobu Berkeley, London.
Which is your favourite ingredient to play with?
Although many, if you ask me a particular ingredient to play with, it would have to be Kashmiri Saffron. The versatility of using it in meat, veggies, bread and dessert, puts it ahead of the lot.
What is the latest trend hitting the food service sector?
There's definitely vegetarian and vegan as the biggest trend, with many reports now saying that eating meat is detrimental to you and the environment. That too Zero pesticide produce. First Agro is a company dedicated to growing Zero pesticide produce. This trend will increase as awareness about the source of food increases.
How changing market segments affect food and beverage industry?
People have realized that identifying specific needs and wants of your particular market segment makes your business more successful. Changing market trends in recent times have made sure businesses carve out a niche and then thrive on it. From the humble vada pav to sushi- sashimi, everything has been corporatized. That has given way to successful start-ups in the food and beverage industry by even unconventional players. I personally feel, the changing market trends, make for an even playing field for all players, keeps businesses on their toes through product innovation and accurate market research. It also keeps the Indian food and beverage industry abreast with the international scene.
What is your USP which makes you stand out in food industry?
While I have run corporate setups which include posh nightclubs to fine dine restaurants, casual dine, pubs and food courts, the early part of my career has been in the bakery, pastry and dessert section giving me an invaluable insight into that side of the kitchen in a way which very few chefs have ever experienced. I can handle both with aplomb and ease.
What do you think builds a brand in this industry?
While there is not one mantra for it, however keeping your employees happy will ensure that they keep your customers happy in the long run ensuring you build a brand with consistency and quality. On the business side of things, having the correct processes in place for your brand ensures strong brand building. After all, people can leave you, processes will not. While the trends and market segments keep changing for each one of us, the basics stay the same. Create, innovate and keep adapting to the changing times. Adapting is the name of the game.
How have you seen Indian food market growing over the past few years?
The Indian food market has grown over the past few years and will continue to do so at a rapid pace over the next few years due to the boom in consumer spending power, brand innovation and greater acceptance of international and local cuisines through internet and travel.
What are the things you look into when it comes to quality?
The quality procedures and standards established at the time of creating a brand are paramount to its success. Hence, as with ingredients, staff or processes, quality has to match with the mandated standards and rules set down by the company in order to ensure consistency. It is through quality that we see values like customer retention and brand image being kept constant.
Can we see you opening a restaurant of your own?
Yes, most definitely. With the spur in the food industry, it would be wise to invest in one of mine soon.
Food service industry is expanding aggressively and becoming a key sector of the economy. The size of total market (organized and unorganized) is INR 3,09,110 crore and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10 per cent to reach INR 4,98,130 crore by 2021.
The unorganized market holds a 67 per cent share with an estimated size of INR 2,07,635 crore. However, the share of unorganized segment is expected to fall and reach INR 2,93,950 which a increase of 59 per cent by 2021. The organized market which includes chain outlets, organized standalone outlets and restaurants in hotels is estimated at INR 1,01,475 crore in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent to reach INR 2,04,180 crore by 2021.
Setting up a restaurant and handling a restaurant both are different things. Handling a restaurant is not easy as eating. One needs to have that dedication and passion to run the business smoothly. It needs galiot to curate best trade. Being ruthlessly honest is one of the key factors when it comes to build an empire. Honesty can help you trade and bring the best outcomes at your door.
Here are some traits which helps maintaining leadership at restaurant.
Be Tech Savvy
Technology today has become a vital segment in life. Gone are the days when it was a complicated term. Now days everyone knows the benefits of technology or how to use it to generate more benefits. India is such a big country and world is on the other hand a big territory to play where food tech is the new hype. “There is ample space for people to play over and take share of money in the world of technology. Entrepreneurs sharing the same level of passion and interest and doing something innovative in technology will grow. When you’re alone and talk about technology, you may be considered as bragging but when there are ten others talking the same language, then they feel that there is a need of that particular thing,” says Nilesh Shah, Co-Founder, Fusion Resto. Technology is a new perspective budding in the food industry which would act as a fuel in the growth of food service sector.
Fill the Void
Instead of focusing on what has been done, if restaurateurs focus on what is there left to be done would probably change the game. There is a void in food industry which needs to be filled. “I think it’s not so much of changing the market segment; it’s about the new market segments being added to the existing ones. Indians are too traditional in their ways not in just food but about living a life as well. So there is a void that’s what new trends are trying to fill. There are lots of gap to be filled up in each part of F&B sector. So, all of this is good for industry because it’s giving customer more of choices and thereby they’re going out to eat. This diversity would be a new evolution to the market”, avers Siddharth Maskara, Co- Founder at Brickwood Pizza.
Serve Best Service
Customers are going out more often than before but they are not dining out for just food, they are looking for an overall experience which includes everything from dining to ambience and of course service. Hospitality industry is all about service. “A place where people don’t have big pockets, it’s quite an achievement that we are preferred choice even in that particular situation. We are mentioned somewhere. And it’s only because of our passion to serve authentic Indian cuisine, or passion to serve them according to their palates. We believe in under promising and over delivering. After all its about the best service experience which we can serve the customer,” adds Jaspal Singh Bindra, Proprietor, Punjabi Kadhai.
Chetan Kaul is an enthusiastic Co-Founder at Dudleys who shares his experience with delivery restaurant in an exclusive interview with Restaurant India.
The Backstory
I have been with food industry and food tech industry for a while and realised that food delivery business started booming about two and a half years ago. The reason we started with Dudleys is no one has done anything good with burgers. There were very high standards with other cuisines from pizza to north Indian and on the other hand the standards with burger were very low. The concept of burger in India is of a fast food, fried and fattening but there is no concept of gourmet burgers in India which is everywhere in all over the world. The other thing is burgers are very easy to market. So we wanted to introduce much higher standards of burger to India. That is why we use authentic and imported ingredients for our burgers and not feed people with fried patties. Everyone can do burgers but the thing which makes us different is doing it with much higher level.
The Journey
Being a foodie and having an all around experience with food sector made me worked with some food tech companies where I had a lot of access to data. That is how I came to know the statistics with delivery. The delivery market is growing very fast because people are convenience friendly, they enjoy getting food at their door step. Also it was quite easy to start up with a delivery restaurant. The only problem is because there is so much of tech element, people do not know about it precisely. There is a huge opportunity in this market, many are doing delivery restaurant but no one is doing it right completely which made us enter the game.
The Efforts
We have started working on it from last year, September and we ended up with it on 1st February of this year. Our main thing was to find the best Chef to make our burgers stand out of the crowd. So we had more than 35 food trials before starting up with 35 different Chefs. It took us four months to stumble upon what we wanted, a fine dine Chef in delivery restaurant. We have put half of crore till date into the project.
The Pricing
I actually see our burgers worth paying for but I know that customers find it high. India being price sensitive country going to take time before people having knowledge about the process followed to serve them. Pricing depends upon consistency. If the customer likes the product, he will find it worthy and if he doesn’t like it then of course it will b expensive for him. That is quite a big issue in delivery restaurant in India because there is no ambience or music to justify the price.
The Competition
There is no doubt that Indian food market is not only growing but exploding. But there is much scope to grow and in between we don’t see competition at all because brands like McDonald’s and KFC are in different bracket. Their delivery models and pricing are also in different segment so there is no competition. For the most part in delivery business, there is not a huge competition.
The Expansion
We are intending to expand in Greater Kailash and Malviya Nagar. The first basic expansion plan is to cover all of Delhi in terms of delivery. The second part is to increase the delivery hours and the main part is to open a culture of dining in burgers where we can combine alcohol and burgers together.
The Back-story
I’m from finance background; we have been in this business since eleven years. Being a foodie since childhood, it was always a passion. I was always interested in doing something with food. Once we have generated funds, we took our passion to the business. The concept of food was never commercialized. For me, it’s more of like I want world to taste every best dish possible and feel good about it, even in my worst time I would have established a ‘Pav Bhaji ka Thela’ and people would relish it. That is how we started and there was never look back.
The Inspiration
My journey in food industry was more of like a twist in my life. I was on complete bed rest for six months during my finance business. Since it was a revenue based market, my earnings started draining. It was on my bed when I was thinking if there’s any business which I pass on to my legacy even if I fell sick or in any mishap. I thought of creating my own brand, explored the food world and hit it.
The Response
I was lucky to get the perfect location for my restaurant. It’s around corporate area and being a vegetarian restaurant people took us in arms. That was the initial taste of success and the ride is still going on. We give a feedback form to our customer and we instantly get the review if they liked the food or not which help us in improvising. And if any customer didn’t like the food or service instead of bribing the customer with free meal; we offer them our best signature dishes. That is how we take care of our very special customers.
Efforts put into
It is difficult to quantify because we are generating money and investing back to our restaurant making it more happening. But initial capital was about six lacs.
The Changing Market Segments
Food is evolving in India, we are expanding. Since we are travelling more, we are experimenting with food. Other brands are coming to India and they are creating their own market. Definitely the change is inevitable and it is coming for good.
The Menu
Our concept was all about Street Food for example, Pav Bhaji and Chhole Bhature, never gone to mainstream a la carte menu. But now we have also introduced Chinese Cuisine and some fusion dishes. We are very experimental with our card.
The Hurdles in Starting Up
There’s a lot in F&B sector. But people should only enter this entry if they are passionate about it and not because it is a glamorous industry. Either it could take you to heights or make you fall on to the ground. We did a lot of analytics and number churning before taking a holy dip into this industry. A lot of people don’t realise that they could be flown away or drown away, they put money and behave impatiently but food industry takes time to grow.
Expansion Plans Via Franchisee
Yes, we are looking for spaces but our criteria are very rigid as we are actually focused about what we want. We want to open more stores with one carpet area to give it a cozy comfortable ambience. We have looked some properties in Ranchi and other areas. We have a franchise model and we are looking forward for it if we get mindful person sharing same passion for food. Also we prefer a local who is willing to invest in for franchisee.
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