HYDERABAD: One could walk into their favourite restaurant, have the best meal to their fill and leave. But, not many know what goes behind putting that amazing plate of food on the table or maintaining a pretty ambience.
That the F&B industry has been struggling to get back on its feet amid the pandemic is no news. Restaurants had to lay off a huge chunk of their staff, some left for their homes to never return and others are apprehensive of a secure income. Managers and chefs in the city share with CE the many problems that they have been facing.
One of the biggest problems has to be the staff crunch. Explaining why many establishments are facing this problem, Shankar Krishnamurthy, the head of the National Restaurant Association of India’s (NRAI) Hyderabad chapter, says “The business did roll out well for a couple of months last year, but then came lockdown 2.0.
Forceful layoffs led to a lot of insecurities and we never had time to recover. We were able to crawl back to normalcy only three months ago. We have incurred huge losses and the industry is yet to bounce back, as expected, on all fronts. The cost of business has been rising — this, coupled with a lack of resources in the industry, has added to the crunch. As a result, there has been a huge loss of trust among the staff coming back to work during this time.”
Short menus, limited walk-ins
Shankar, who is also the director of Fusion Hospitality, has shortened the menu and limited walk-ins at the restaurant to manage with the resources at hand. “Uncertainties of this time and reduced operational hours have forced us to focus on the cost of business in order to stay afloat. This has been our plight over the last two years and it still is a tough time; we don’t know how long this could go on. At the end of the day, the show must go on. We know for a fact that the food industry is not going anywhere; people love to eat, man is a social animal. The industry will be back on its feet. F&B is going through a tough phase, but we are confident that tomorrow will be a much better day,” says a hopeful Shankar.
Looking out for their staff
Sateesh Polkam, general manager operations at Farzi Café, says social distancing and other limitations have led to a shortage in the number of customers. “Since the first lockdown was lifted, we have been following social distancing norms. We aren’t hosting too many people at a time. We have retained only a few of our staff members and are paying them their full salaries. They have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us from day one. We took care of them through the lockdowns and gave them accommodation too. When the pandemic struck, the staff’s families were worried about their health, but we assured them of good care,” he says.
Mohd Ismail, the executive chef at Anna Native, shares how they have been managing with limited staff. “To be honest, my restaurant is low on staff. Nevertheless, we are trying to ensure that they trust us enough to stay with us. We are focusing on opening another branch and soon will be taking in more people. This is not the problem with just us — most, if not all, restaurants have been reeling under a staff crunch. Sankranti, coupled with the Omicron wave, have kept many from returning to Hyderabad. Hopefully, by February things will fall into place,” he says.
Manish Dayya, the general manager at Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & Hyderabad International Convention Centre, says, “There has been a steady slowdown in the F&B business since the pandemic hit us. Takeaway and F&B dining got better, but the void of corporate lunches and get-togethers is still felt as people continue to work from home. Capping is another reason for no big events being held and, in general, everyone is being very cautious.”
Major cancellations
According to him, there was a good pick-up when Q4 of 2021 brought in the same feelers of 2019. But, the third wave brought with it major cancellations due to no travel. All segments such as the local and national associations, pharma, medical groups and events, the sports segment, dealers meets, club events and other social gatherings like awards and film association meets got cancelled for Q1 of 2022. “As this business has been seeing ups and downs, and is not consistent currently, new recruitments across all departments began only in October 2021. Support systems have been roped in from ODCs, catering colleges and interns,” adds Manish.
Apart from Covid, another reason for the staff crunch is that, in the past few months, several places have sprung up and there’s stiff competition. “There has been a drastic decrease in the number of chefs and kitchen help. Our motto is to train more people -- we take freshers every six months and train them. We have been doing this for three years now. This has cushioned the blow for us,” says Venkat Reddy, the manager of Coffee Cup.
Just when things started to look up for the F&B industry, Omicron had to induce a third wave, causing a staff crunch at most restaurants in the city. Saving the day, managers and chefs speak about how they are running the show