Here’s how COVID-19 has changed the rules of eating out

As restaurants fire up their cooking ranges and open their doors for takeaways, there is a mixed response from the people about ordering out

Sudixa Majumdar is a mighty relieved 24-year-old resident of Siripuram who isn’t a skilled cook. She had to rely on processed and canned food for so long. “I am glad restaurants and delivery apps are back in action,” she says. She only makes sure that now she orders from a restaurant she frequented before the pandemic and trusts.

As the government eases some of the lockdown norms, hotels and restaurants have started running their kitchens only after incorporating several precautionary measures. The days of walking into a restaurant and walking out with a takeaway are over. Today, one has to go through several stages of checks before even making it to the reception area. In most of these restaurants, customers’ body temperature is recorded, they have to sanitize their hands and only then enter the premises. Also, ‘no mask, no food’ policy is strictly followed.

“Earlier, the emphasis was on good quality food that is prepared hygienically. But now, added to that is our constant effort is to keep the virus at bay. We are prioritising hygiene and physical distancing norms over timely deliveries. Utensils and ladles are not just washed but even sterilized, the kitchen areas are cleaned with disinfectant thrice a day and the staff is advised to wash its hands every 20 minutes,” says V Koteshwar, food and beverages manager of Hotel Daspalla.

Daspalla’s most ordered takeaway is its popular birayni and the South Indian thali. “Our takeaways have increased since we reopened our kitchen. Pre-COVID we would have a little over 100 biryani orders in the weekends but this has shot up to 200 now,” says Koteswar. However, though the takeaways have increased it is not profitable. Earlier earlier the 100 takeaways used to be in addition to over 2000 walk-ins. Besides, the kitchen-maintenance budget has shot up.“We are spending four lakh per month for the protection equipment and the cleaners, sanitisers, masks and gloves.”

Kalyan Kumar of Upland Bistro at Waltair Uplands says that only 30 % of people are choosing to take-away or have food delivered. A majority still prefers to stick to home-cooked food. Kalyan's five chefs are presently handling all the orders. “We have given accommodation to them and ensured that they are adhering to all social distancing measures. Even the kitchen laundry is being done in-house now," he says. For door delivery, Kalyan has employed one staff member who caters to all orders. He recently added mocktails, thickshakes and pizzas in his menu, that also includes soups, starters, main course dishes and a short list of desserts.

Hunger games


   •  Organised restaurants account for 35% of India’s restaurant industry.


   •  Dine-ins are 75% of the organised restaurants, with online delivery and takeaways making up for the rest.


   •  According to Rahul Prithiani, Director, CRISIL Research, “The organised restaurant sector has seen a 90% reduction in sales since the lockdown. Dine-in is not operational and online orders have declined 50-70%. And when the lockdown is lifted, the rebound is expected to be only gradual."

In Hotel Daspalla’s kitchen each chef is given a station six feet away from the other one. “We have markings on the floor to ensure that the distance is maintained. The kitchen staff has to change into uniforms that are washed and sanitised every day before they enter the kitchen. Clothes and shoes worn outside the hotel premises are not allowed in. We are also making sure that no leftovers are kept in the fridge for more than 24 hours. Each container is marked with the date and time that it was put into the fridge,” says Debraj Chatterjee, executive sous chef. The restaurant has also adopted a shorter menu with dishes made from locally available ingredients.

Even after lockdown lifts, the hotel will ensure strict adherence to some rules. “With social distancing as the new normal, we will have limited people in the restaurant . Going forward six-seaters will allow only four people and four-seaters will be allocated to two people,” he adds.

To ensure the safety of her customers, owner of Waltair Kitchen Ananya Gopalshetty decided to open her kitchen with just the in-house staff. “Since the lockdown was announced the staff has been living in. In the past weeks, they have stayed within the hotel premises and followed all the precautionary measures,” she says. She is trying her best to keep her staff safe by ensuring contact-less deliveries, where the takeaways are placed on a counter in the parking area. No customers can enter the restaurant. “Before handing over the parcels to the customers temperatures are checked and the food handed over. It is mandatory the customer wear a mask. The waiting areas are marked out to ensure that the customers practise physical distancing," she explains. Their takeaway menu has seven types of biryanis and over 15 starters.

But the unease about ordering out remains. Nikhita B, a resident of Beach Road is not comfortable with the idea. “I am aware that the restaurants are taking all the necessary precautions, but the rising number of cases is my cause of concern. It would be reassuring if the restaurants provided me with details about when the ingredients were bought and were they kept in isolation for a day or two before using it in the kitchen,” she adds.

Even, D Vishaal who never thought twice about ordering out, is now reluctant to do so. “I worry about the line of procurement to delivery. This is an area that would be hard to control,” says Vishaal who also confesses he is rather tired of surviving on homemade meals alone. He has ventured ordering from a prominent hotel in the city, but has decided to wait a little longer before he ventures into trying out the smaller restaurants.