HYDERABAD : If you have been ordering food through food delivery apps during the pandemic, there is a good chance that you have noticed a new section called ‘premium’ which offers gourmet food from a few of the well-known, high-end restaurants in the city. In an effort to adjust to the post-pandemic ‘new normal’, five-star hotels have made their fare more accessible to people with the logistics support of food delivery apps.
This move has made the formerly prohibitively priced gourmet food come within the reach of many who could not taste them because of the high cost of dining out at a five-star restaurant. With combo meals customised for one, two, four and more persons, one can taste a wide variety of dishes tossed up by special chefs.
A foodie, who has been tasting a few new dishes due to this new development, says: “Let me first put it straight the gourmet food is still priced higher than what I can usually afford. But on a special occasion, or on the salary day when I want to indulge myself, I have ordered from the ‘premium’ section. When you eat the same food at the hotels, they are more expensive because you also pay for the ambience, service etc. But with dine-in prices and the luxury of eating it at your own home, these look like a lucrative option for special occasions.”
Prashant Chadha, the general manager of ITC Kohenur, says: “Because of the current situation during which diners cannot come into the facility, we have tried offering the same cuisine within the comfort of their own homes keeping in mind the safety aspects and quality. However, there are certain dishes which would not do well or augur well in terms of texture and presentation when packed. These are the items that are not present in our food delivery app takeaway menu.”
Parag Sawhney, general manager of the The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, says: “After most revenue streams started drying up after the lockdown, delivering food through our own executives and third party apps brought back the cash flow. We customised meals for individuals and groups and sold everything from brunches to midnight snacks. During the IPL season, we offered cocktail mixes wherein one had to add only the alcohol to get a taste of our signature drinks. Also, when customers order from us, they are sure that all hygiene practices are being followed.”
With the five-star restaurants making a foray into our own home dining spaces, will ambience, which is considered one of the USPs of fine dining, cease to matter? Trend watchers reply with a resounding ‘no’. Sabyasachi Ray Chaudhuri, a food connoisseur who has been a regular commentator on the city’s changing culinary landscape, says: “Ambience and table service cannot be replicated. People pay much more for fine dining, and they will continue to do it after the pandemic.
The delivery boxes are only stopgap measures during the pandemic. It also helps in brand recall for the future. But they can never replicate a gourmet fine dining experience.” Vishal Fernandes, a blogger who has been writing extensively about gourmet food and fine dining, says that he would not mind paying 20-30 per cent extra for the five-star experience. “For me, all the perks that come with dining out in a luxury restaurant like the presentation, hospitality and individual service matter. So I would definitely seek the fine dining experience once things come back to normal.”
Prashant weighs in his two cents. “While everyone is forced to follow physical distancing now, socialising is one of the basic ethos of mankind and will always stay. We have already seen that after the lockdown last year, our patrons started coming back till the second lockdown was declared. Dine out is here to stay, but the conditions under which it is done will change as safety precautions will assume greater significance. So the number of diners or the area of the dining space will change so as to allow safety protocols, but people will resume dining out for sure,” he says. Parag says that it’s only a matter of everyone getting vaccinated. “Nothing can replicate the experience of dining out. In due time, people are bound to get out of the four walls of their homes and seek the hospitality and special treatment of fine dining.”
— Kakoli Mukherjee kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com @KakoliMukherje2