SATURDAY, MAY 04, 2024
Ajit John
The virus has laid low every industry operating today. Jobs have been lost and factories shut. Sections of the hospitality industry have reopened. Restaurants have reopened in these strange times. People are walking in and having food and others are ordering it. The cost of running a restaurant has increased due to a reduction in the number of suppliers for raw materials all of which come from outside. Deliveries of food is another aspect which is very important in the industry. There are professional players that have signed up with various outlets and deliver orders. Of course, all this happens for a fee. Many restaurants have adapted to the changed reality on the ground.
Rani Malhotra of Twisted Food Tales said “There has been a slowdown with a lot of people now prefer to cook at home. There is a fear without a doubt. We do not depend on Swiggy or Zomato to deliver our food. With the kind of rates, we charge, we will not be in a position to afford their services. In a day we sometimes deliver twenty meals and on other days it can even be five. We have hired someone for the purpose of delivering food. Our Sunday menu is very popular. We usually deliver in the area and if we have to deliver in Panjim and beyond, we charge for delivery”.
Salim of Culinary Delight another outlet in Panjim said they were functioning at fifty per cent. Many of his clients he said were coming over to the outlet and picking up their orders. His in-house staff was handling deliveries because the fees charged by the professional services were anywhere between 30%-35% which would come out of his margins. He said “In this market, I cannot afford to hire them. The market is already depressed and people are cooking and eating at home so the business is anyway slim and I have to protect whatever I am earning”.
The fancier restaurants in town are also taking a close look at their delivery systems. A five-star restaurant in Panjim has been serving food to diners at the outlet and to also people who order in. an executive who was not cleared to speak to the media speaking on condition of anonymity said their staff was handling the deliveries. He said, “We need to help them earn their salaries and this keeps them busy and helps us deliver orders to clients”.
Prahlad Sukhtankar of Black Market said they were handling all their deliveries in-house. He said “My team needs employment and all those with scooters and bikes volunteered to start delivering food. By doing this I know who is touching the food and it is very safe. The home delivery business is ok. Remember if I were to hire the services of the professionals, I would have to increase the cost of each dish by 20% which just does not make any sense in this market”.
Simran Amrapalli of House of Grace in Bambolim said she had just opened the outlet today because they could not afford to stay shut any longer. She said they were looking to hire somebody for deliveries because the percentage charged by the professional services were too high and anyway, she said they were not available in the area.
Perhaps Mayanak Dube of Burger Factory summed it up best when he said “Business is very slow and we have to keep our staff employed. Many of our clients come over and pick the orders but the rest are serviced by us. It is a very tough situation to be in and we are trying to manage”.
Trying to manage and making do with whatever they have on hand seems to be the mantra of all the restauranteurs in the state.
