The new normal is going to take some getting used to in many ways. And one of those ways is how we eat out (or rather in) as social distancing norms continue to hold, and restaurants find themselves in the unenviable place of trying to run a business as well as be responsible for their staff and patrons. But where there’s a way, there’s a bill, and restaurants around the Capital have come out with a variety of the Capital, announced her DIY pizzas for those craving a taste of Diva (assembled and ready, just pop it in the micro/convection oven), other properties soon followed suit. “After umpteen calls from our regulars, we decided to make some of our signature dishes DIY.
These are prepared with all current hygiene protocols in mind, leaving the last step for customers to finish at home. For instance, I’d say our pizzas are 80 per cent ready, requiring the final step to be dynamic, there’s no cookie- cutter formula. “We have a roster of experiences the Massive brands, be it Pa Pa Ya or Masala Library or Farzi. We have already tooled out our DIY meal kits that we will launch in a couple of days. It has all the elements of a restaurant meal, concisely put together with all instructions,” says restaurateur Zorawar Kalra of Massive restaurants.
“Our biggest goal is to guarantee the safety of our guests and staff, and still providing a ‘restaurant at home’ experience. That’s why we are figuring out the logistics of a complete in-house experience, which is coming soon. Guests who opt for it will be assured of our fully-verified and PPE-clad chefs, servers, even our crockery if they want, to replicate a meal outside, in the safety of their own homes,” adds Kalra. Speaking of crockery that makes dining out complete, Gaurav Wadhwa, Founder Director, Culinary Head and Co-owner, THEOS, has an interesting take on the concept. “We don’t want to alarm our guests by the thought of having strangers in their house.
We have recalibrated our catering service to a new format, more fitting of the present. Complete dishes will be delivered to guests holding intimate gatherings in their home. We know it can get tedious to do the finishing and flourishes of gourmet meals. Everything will come prepared, wrapped in foil, requiring a simple re-heat.” Not all businesses find it as easy. For Chef Radhika Khandelwal of Ivy & Bean and Fig & Maple, the plate has always been a blank canvas for her dishes. “Now I have foil and potato-starch containers to recreate a dish for take-away orders. I think we have done a good job, but it’s not the same.” While many restaurants foretell a bright future for the industry post-COVID, many aren’t as optimistic. “We will have to continue to innovate and pivot to new models.
For instance, we have switched to retailing our in-house artisanal items like dips, sauces and flash frozen appetisers (available online, though you can also come pick it up), which is what is sustaining us, apart from the takeaways,” notes Khandelwal, who hopes to start delivering a DIY brunch experience for her clientele from this weekend, given it’s always been a draw. Crockery, dips, frozen foods, DIYs, and soon chefs at your doorstep... seeing restauranteurs give throw in all the works would have tickled Darwin. Indeed it is the survival of the fittest. of Tres, in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony.
However, with the food and beverage industry being so riences lined up for the guests who are missing the experience of dining in our actual restaurants. There is an eclectic offering from all ways to satiate appetites. After chef Ritu Dalmia, the doyenne of Italian food in IN ROOM DINING YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO GO OUT TO TOWN TO DINE FROM YOUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANT completed at our customers’ homes, f o r which we provide exact instructions,” says Chef Jatin Mallick