Chefs, foodies speak on culinary trends
CHENNAI: Fine dining, micro-breweries, clubs, and apps — Hyderabad has long been at the forefront of food trends. A panel discussion on the emerging trends in the food industry was held at Olive Bistro in Jubilee Hills on Saturday. The theme of the discussion was ‘Uphill, Downhill: What’s happening to Hyderabad’s Restaurant Business’.
The panellists included chef Shankar Krishnamurthy (F9 Viola), chef Rishim (Olive bar and kitchen), Kaustubh Kapruwan (Accounts Head, Zomato), Suryaveer Singh(wine connoisseur and hotelier), Shruti Sarin (frequent diner), Sabyasachi Ray Chaudhari (blogger and influencer), Swati Sucharita (influencer), Tabeer Osman (Associate Partner, Heart cup coffee), etc.
The forum covered various topics concerning the restaurant business such as government policies, discount apps, turnovers, operational costs, competition, footfall, staff problems, etc. The panel strongly felt that existing government policies are an area of concern for the hospitality sector. The heavy licence fee eats away at profits and acts as a major deterrent for the sector’s growth, they opined.
“Discount apps do not add anything to the business. Food delivery apps such as Zomato, Swiggy, etc. have completely ruined the concept of dining out”, said Khalil Ahmed from Zaiqa-E-Hyderabad. Lack of innovation and business planning by new and existing restaurant owners is also a major reason hampering the sector’s growth, opined the panellists.