BUSINESS
Maintaining Hygiene Amidst Pandemic Restaurants which were humming with activity and serving a full house on Valentine’s Day last year are now, with strict observance of social distancing and other SOPS due to the pandemic, having only about 25% of the occupancy. This unprecedented situation has arisen as the people are concerned about their health and are not sure about whether it is truly safe to dine out – or even order food from the neighborhood restaurant. Under these circumstances, it is imperative for F&B outlets to be vigilant about food safety. Ashok Malkani tries to find out the steps being taken by the industry not only to maintain hygiene in the kitchens but also to keep the guests informed about these measures to gain their confidence. And, with increasing costs, due to observance of high level of hygiene as well as having low number of diners due to maintenance, how do these F&B outlets manage to balance the revenue?
T
he culture of eating out, which had been steadily evolving over the last decade and a half, has been badly affected by the pandemic. Pre-pandemic food services in India which, according to the National Restaurant Association of India, was estimated at Rs 4,23,865 crore, has been badly hit. Though, with the easing off of the lockdown the restaurateurs have been slowly trying to restore faith in their guests about the necessary steps being taken to ensure safety of the diners by following all the SOPs set in place by the health authorities,
26
the guests are cautious about the hygiene being followed in these outlets. W i t h n ew ve rs i o n s of v i r u s b e i n g discovered, the panic among the people has not decreased, resulting in very little favourable effect on the F&B outlets. These establishments are making all efforts to convince the customers about their safety. With strict observance of social distancing, there is less contact-dining experience for diners. On the technical front the restaurateurs have started usage of QR, non-human interference except for service of food at the table. Besides, there
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
has been a high level of hygiene for staff as well as adherence of strict cleanliness and sanitization in the kitchens. People believe that corona virus can be spread through food and so they want to be assured about how the raw food is cleaned and cooked and served at the table. It may be mentioned that while research into the COVID-19 virus is ongoing, it has so far been found that the virus is transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person (through coughing and sneezing), and
Feb-Mar ’21
