Restaurants Introduce Creative Ways to Bring Back Diners; Dineout Projects 70% Recovery Rate

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | October 19, 2020 | News

Dineout

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted the F&B industry in a big way with restaurants remaining closed for months. Now, with lockdown being lifted in most cities, restaurants are opening for dine-in services and falling back on creativity to get back into the groove even as they adapt to the new norms.  

Leading reservation and restaurant tech platform Dineout recently stated that restaurants have recovered 60% of business compared to pre-COVID times. Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad are moving fast with a 70% recovery rate projected to be achieved in this festive quarter, followed by Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur and Hyderabad with a 55% recovery rate. Mumbai and Pune that opened up last week have seen a 10-fold increase in diner count compared to the previous week’s numbers.

This growth curve can be credited to restaurants that are ensuring the safety of their customers and staff by promoting QR Code-driven digital menus as well as digital payments to minimise contact at the outlets.

As per Dineout partner data, 65% partner restaurants have already switched to QR-code based digital menus in the last three months. Mobile ordering is expected to grow further as more consumers view mobile ordering as a safer and convenient option.

Commenting on the update, Ankit Mehrotra, CEO & Co-founder, Dineout, said, “It’s amazing to see restaurants aligning their operations to the new normal and adapting to new strategies to secure a strong comeback. We’ve recovered 60% of our pre-COVID business numbers and expect to reach 100% by the end of this year. The use of digital payments via Dineout pay at partnered restaurants have also increased to 80% as more and more users are opting for digital means to settle bills.”

Restaurants are introducing new and innovative ways to make it #SafeToEatOut again for their customers while adhering to social distancing and hygiene norms. Here are some innovate and creative ways that restaurants are using to bring back diners:

Robot experience: 

Robot Restaurant, Indiranagar Bangalore and Chennai

Restaurants like Robot (Porur) & Moti Mahal, robot-themed restaurants in Chennai, Robot Restaurant in Bangalore and Jaipur are serving food with the help of robots to reduce human contact.

Private dining pods: 

Dragonfly, Worldmark Aerocity, New Delhi 

Dragonfly restaurant at Aerocity Worldmark, New Delhi ensures a safe dining experience with its specially created private dining pods. These pods are made up of hard acrylic walls and can accommodate a group of 10 to 12 people. 

Drive-in and drive-through restaurants: 

Just FoodInn - Dine In Car, Ahmedabad

People anxious about social distancing within the restaurants can also opt for drive-in and drive-through restaurants across the country. Ping’s Orient in Kolkata and Just FoodInn in Ahmedabad offer diners a special drive-in menu from within the comfort of their own vehicle. At DLF Cyberhub, Gurgaon,  diners can pre-order food using the Dineout app and choose self-pick-up at these specialty drive-through outlets.

Food conveyor: 

Cloves restaurant in Ahmedabad, Gujarat came up with India’s first techno-dining experience. Here, food is delivered in covered bowls through a food conveyor, right from the kitchen to the customer’s table without any human contact in between. Customers can pick up their own bowls that has their table numbers mentioned, thereby eliminating handling of food in between by stewards.

UV-sterilised cutlery and plexi-glass barriers: 

Smokehouse Deli cafe, Mumbai

Mocha and Smokehouse Deli cafes across India are using UV-sterilised cutlery wrapped in paper before serving diners. Along with sterilised cutlery, restaurants have also installed plexi-glass barriers following social distancing norms while serving clean and hygienic food to customers.

Nano disinfection treatment: 

Madras Canteen and grill, Chennai

Madras Canteen and Grill in Chennai uses graphene-based nano disinfection treatment which assures 24*7 anti-viral and anti-bacterial protection to their customers and staff. All surfaces of the entire restaurant including floors, walls, kitchen, cutlery, the counters, food service areas, toilets, lounge bar, smoking zones and the security area are being disinfected on a daily basis.