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MYSTIC EAST
...an unexplored horizon               A bi-monthly magazine by HRAEI | Vol 3 | Issue 3 | November - December 2017

 COVER STORY

 HIGH GEAR
 FOR SAFE
FOOD
 FSSAI is enforcing safety standards
 at eating places at a war footing
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
DIRECTOR'S NOTE                                                                                                                      November - December 2017

                                        Dear Fellow Members,
                                        According to a report by Boston Consulting Group                           MYSTIC EAST
                                        and Google India, the hotel industry will grow at                            A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY HRAEI
                                        13 per cent to reach $13 billion by 2020. Anoth-                          Vol 3 | Issue 3 | November - December 2017
                                        er recent report released by India Brand Equity
                                        Foundation (IBEF) says the hospitality industry is
                                        expected to create 13.45 million jobs by the next                          EDITORIAL BOARD
                                        few years.                                                                 SUDESH PODDAR
                                           Surprisingly, the hospitality industry is growing                       PRESIDENT, HRAEI
                                        at a faster pace as compared to recent years. It                           MS. BIRGIT ELLY HOLM
                                        has become a key sector to increase foreign direct                         SPECIAL INVITEE, HRAEI
                                        investment (FDI) influx. Last November, the un-                            HYATT REGENCY KOLKATA, GENERAL MANAGER
                                        expected storm of demonetization was a big blow                            MR. S. H. RAHMAN
                                        to the sector, especially it hit the unorganized side                      SPECIAL INVITEE, HRAEI
                                        hard. However, the organized hospitality sector re-                        THE PARK, CORPORATE DIRECTOR,
                                        covered quickly due to its practice of digital trans-                      SALES & MARKETING
                                                                                                                   MR. GOPAL DAS AGARWAL
   Surprisingly, the                    action. The sector also looks as with the introduc-
                                        tion of goods and services tax (GST) players from                          MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER, HRAEI
 hospitality industry                   the unorganized side will make a move towards the                          EDITOR
                                                                                                                   ATIKRAM GUPTA
is growing at a faster                  organized one.
                                           However, with growth we are going face new                              EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
pace as compared to                     challenges too. Liquor ban in several states coupled                       SUSMIT BARMAN

recent years and has                    with the law banning liquor near the highways has
                                        considerably affected number of our members. A
                                                                                                                   CHIEF DESIGNER
                                                                                                                   SOMU DUTTA
become a key sector                     lower GST rate would have also helped the sector.
                                                                                                                   ‘Mystic East’ magazine is printed
 to increase foreign                    In addition, now we have to counter stiff compe-
                                        tition from nearby tourist destinations like Singa-
                                                                                                                   and published by Atikram Gupta on behalf of Hotel and
                                                                                                                   Restaurant Association of Eastern India.
  direct investment                     pore, Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand, and China-- plac-                         Printed at CDC Printers Private Limited, No.45, Radha
     (FDI) influx                       es with far lower GST than ours.                                           Nath Chowdhury Road, Tangra Industrial Estate-II,
                                                                                                                   Kolkata, West Bengal 700 015
                                                                                                                   Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India,
                                                                                                                   18A/1, Everest , 18th Floor, 46C,
                                                                                                                   Chowringhee Road, Kolkata- 700 071;
                                                                                                                   Telephone- +91 33 2288-1742/43, 40035993.
                                         Sudesh Poddar                                                             E-mail: info@hraei.co.in
                                         President, HRAEI                                                          Website: www.hraei.co.in

           THIS ISSUE OF MYSTIC EAST CONTAINS 56 PAGES INCLUDING COVER AND BACK COVER

All information in Mystic East magazine is derived from sources we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. The publisher
regrets that he cannot accept liability for error and omissions contained in this publication that might have crept in inadvertently. Similarly, opinions/views
expressed by third parties are not necessarily shared by the magazine. However, we wish to advise our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold
different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific advice before
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No part of the magazine may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publication in writing. The same
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permission could face legal action. The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material, solicited or unsolicited, nor is he responsible for material
lost or damaged.

                                                                                                                                              MYSTIC EAST | 3
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

                                            Dear fellow members,
                                            In the age of Internet, we tend to make judgements about
                                            people or a business based on their virtual entity—a website
                                            or social media link. There is no doubt that it's a snap judge-
                                            ment, but first impressions count.
                                               So how you present your hotel in the first few seconds
                                            will determine if your visitor stays or leaves. Some of our
                                            members have realised this 'virtual' truth and have decided
                                            to spruce up their home page. Few of them have realised the
                                            importance of a contemporary design peppered with easy
                                            navigability of the website to give it a professional look.
                                               Some of them offer professionally shot pictures of rooms,
                                            restaurants, poolside views and other facilities of their ho-
                                            tels. Sometime special offers are placed on the homepage to
                                            grab attention of a prospective guest.
                                               But in most cases these websites have a rudimentary de-
                                            sign. We urge our members to get to the next level. It’s time
                                            for modernisation because nowadays social media linkages,
                        It’s time for       chat options and a host of new elements are required to at-
                                            tract tech savvy travellers. As a large number of bookings
                      modernisation         are made online or through aggregators this has become an
                    because nowadays        imperative.
                                               These can help create a strong brand, allow a greater ex-
                  social media linkages,    position of your property worldwide, drive sales, create and
                    chat options and a      maintain better emotional links with customers and also
                                            provide the perfect tool to interact directly with them. The
                  host of new elements      stronger the emotional connection a customer develops with
                  are required to attract   your hotel or brand, the more chances there are of that cus-
                                            tomer coming back to you. Never forget that for hotels, cus-
                   tech savvy travellers    tomer retention is one of the main factors that will guarantee
                                            its success.

                                            Pranav Singh
                                            Secretary, HRAEI

4 | MYSTIC EAST
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
INSIDE                                                     November - December 2017

Cover Story
November - December 2017

26
HIGH GEAR
FOR SAFE
FOOD
The central food regulator has
become proactive on ensuring
safety and high standards in
the hospitality industry

7        NEWS
        Impact of high GST
        on hotels and
        restaurants

        The new member of
        Managing Committee of

9       the Hotels & Restaurants
        Association of Eastern
        India (HRAEI) for the year
        2017 - 2018

12                                   14
        The Legendary                     Liquidity, the new digital
        The Park, Kolkata,                platform for alcoholic
        turns 50                          beverages

                                                                 MYSTIC EAST | 5
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
Inside

 21                NEW TRAVELLER

                                                                   41
                                                                    EVOLVING
                  We expose five myths                              WORKPLACE
                  about millennial travellers   Companies are creating a
                  from budgeting to couch-      progressive culture in the global
                  surfing                       hospitality industry

 33                VIRTUAL
                   RESTAURANTS

                                                                   46
                                                                    VIRTUAL RED
                                                                    CARPET
                                                Online inventory distribution
                                                technology must be embraced by all
                                                to attract new age customers

                                                                   50
                                                                    ENCHANTING
                  A new concept of kitchen
                  chains has become the new                         ANDAMAN
                  sunshine sector in the F&B    These wildly exotic group of islands is
                  space                         a heaven for adventure tourists

6 | MYSTIC EAST
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
NEWS                                                                                             November - December 2017

IMPACT OF HIGH GST ON HOTELS

I
     NDIA’S restaurant industry and          The chaos began in the summer            “This has to be one the most chal-
     food lovers seem pleased to be       with the ban on the sale of liquor       lenging year’s witnessed by the hospi-
     leaving behind a choppy year,        along the country’s highways.            tality industry,” said Riyaaz Amlani,
bogged down by demonetisation, li-           Starting April 01, following a 2016   president at the National Restaurant
quor ban and GST roll out                 supreme court order, restaurants and     Association of India (NRAI). Amlani,
  The country’s Rs3 lakh crore ($47       hotels were barred from serving al-      who also owns Impresario Entertain-
billion approximately) food ser-          cohol within 500 meters of state and     ment and Hospitality, which runs the
vices market suffered policy hurdles      national highways. This caused an        Social chain of restaurants, among
throughout the year—from liquor           uproar as restaurants and bars saw       others, added that the highway ban
bans to the impact of a new tax re-       business drop overnight. Brokerage       “literally wiped out small businesses.”
gime. Yet, the market also saw the        firm CLSA had estimated losses of up        Next, in July, restaurant owners
launch of new gastronomic delights,       to Rs20,000 crore ($3.01 billion) for    grappled with the newly implement-
exciting food fests, and state govern-    states from the sale of liquor alone.    ed goods and services tax (GST),
ments taking steps to boost the sector,   The court’s decision was, however, re-   introduced to simplify India’s com-
restaurateurs and industry experts        laxed five months later in August.       plicated tax regime. The GST set tax
told Quartz.                                 Yet, the ruling left its impact.      rates for restaurants at 12% and 18%,

                                                                                                        MYSTIC EAST | 7
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
NEWS

                                                                                   The Economic Times newspaper ear-
                                                                                   lier this month. In May, the firm an-
                                                                                   nounced that it would slash costs by
                                                                                   shutting down loss-making stores.
                                                                                   In its earnings for the quarter ended
                                                                                   Sept. 30, Jubilant, which also oper-
                                                                                   ates Dunkin’ Donuts in India, regis-
                                                                                   tered a net profit of Rs48.5 crore, a
                                                                                   124.7% jump over the same period
                                                                                   last year.
                                                                                      “From a macro perspective, we be-
                                                                                   lieve consumer sentiment is steadily
                                                                                   improving,” Amit Jatia, vice-chair-
                                                                                   man of Westlife Development said.
                                                                                      Meanwhile, the country’s top chefs
                                                                                   continued to open restaurants for ex-
                                                                                   perimental Indian diners.
                                                                                      In cities like Delhi and Mumbai,
                                                                                   they brought more regional Indian
                                                                                   food to the mainstream. O Pedro, a
                                                                                   Goan restaurant backed by Sameer
depending on the availability of alco-    has taken a huge leap in policy,” said   Seth, Yash Bhanage, and Floyd Car-
hol and presence of air-conditioners.     Amlani, adding that hopefully more       doz—the trio behind the Bombay
Confusion reigned over the new slabs      states will emulate such a model.        Canteen—opened in Mumbai. In the
as consumer complaints surfaced on          On the other hand, consumers           national capital, Manish Mehrotra’s
the internet claiming that restaurants    showed early signs of spending more      much-acclaimed Indian Accent an-
were over-charging them.                  on eating out after the double wham-     nounced a reworked menu. Delhi also
   In November, in its updated list of    my of the November 2016 note ban         saw the opening of Jamun, a regional
GST rates, the government dramat-         and the GST. The second half of 2017     Indian cuisine restaurant, backed by
ically lowered the tax rate on eating     saw firms such as Westlife Devel-        entrepreneur Rakshay Dhariwal.
out to 5% (except for restaurants lo-     opment, which runs McDonald’s in            “We’ve had too much of a culture
cated in hotels and outdoor catering).    south and west India, and Jubilant       of multi-cuisine and pan-Asian…So I
Although the move did benefit diners,     FoodWorks that manages pizza chain       think you’re going to see this whole
restaurant owners weren’t able to         Domino’s, post good numbers.             shift to projects focussed on region-
take full advantage of the new rates.       “The worst is behind us,” Pratik       al food and that do it well,” Nachiket
That’s because the government with-       Pota, CEO, Jubilant FoodWorks, told      Shetye, founder, Cellar Door Hospi-
drew the input tax credit (ITC), which                                             tality, a culinary consulting firm, told
essentially allows restaurants to claim                                            Quartz.
an offset on the tax they pay on raw                                                  Shetye also points to the popularity
materials or inputs. The ITC accounts        The country’s                         of flea markets, grub fests, and organ-
for between 3% and 4% of a restau-           Rs 3 lakh crore                       ic farmers’ markets as one of the top
rant’s profits. With no ITC, “it has                                               trends that will trickle into 2018. In
become more expensive to operate             ($47 billion                          Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, small
restaurants even as the lowered tax          approximately) food                   dedicated entrepreneurs are bring-
rate is welcome news for customers,”                                               ing fresh produce from nearby farms
explained Amlani.                            services market                       to weekend flea markets. People are
   However, the year will draw to a          suffered policy                       also going back to indigenous grains
close on a positive note. The state of                                             such as ragi, jowar, and bajra, Shetye
Maharashtra has finally implemented          hurdles throughout                    added. “It isn’t just about the quinoa
a law that allows retail establishments      the year                              anymore.”
in the state to remain open round-the-
clock, starting Dec. 20. “Maharashtra                                              Source: Quartz India

8 | MYSTIC EAST
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
November - December 2017

THE MEMBERS OF MANAGING COMMITTEE,
HOTEL & RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF
EASTERN INDIA (HRAEI), 2017-2018

Mr. Tejinder Singh Walia             Mr. Sudesh Poddar             Mr. Nitin S Kothari
President Emeritus, HRAEI            President, HRAEI              Vice President, HRAEI
Director, Hotel Walson, Kolkata      Director, Manthan Bar &       Sole Proprietor, Peter
                                     Restaurant, Kolkata           Cat Restaurant, Kolkata

Mr. Pranav Singh                     Mohammed Azhar                Mr. Amit Ruia
Honorary Secretary, HRAEI            Honorary Treasurer, HRAEI     Honorary Joint Treasurer,
Director, Opium Bar &                Partner, Aminia Restaurant,   HRAEI
Restaurant, Kolkata-700091           Kolkata                       Director, Hotel Narayani
                                                                   Enclave,Kolkata

Mrs. Alka Sehgal                     Mr. Ashoke Singh              Dr. Ajoy Kumar Singh
Honorary Joint Secretary, HRAEI      MC Member, HRAEI              MC Member, HRAEI
Partner, Kasan Restaurant, Kolkata   MD, A V Hotels Pvt. Ltd.      MD, Hotel Samrat
                                     Kolkata                       International, Patna

                                                                          MYSTIC EAST | 9
MYSTIC EAST - FOOD HIGH GEAR FOR SAFE - Hotel ...
Managing Committee Members

Mr. Aditya Jalan            Mr. Apurva Salarpuria       Mr. Girish Arora
MC Member, HRAEI            MC Member, HRAEI            MC Member, HRAEI
MD, The Gateway Hotel,      Director, Novotel Kolkata   Proprietor, Sea Shell
Kolkata                                                 Hotel, Port Blair

Mr. Gopal Das Agarwal       Mr Mahavir Prasad           Mr. Mahesh Agarwal
MC Member, HRAEI            Agarwal                     MC Member, HRAEI
Partner, Hotel Balaji,      MC Member, HRAEI            Proprietor, Haldiram
Howrah                      MD, Central Heritage        Bhujiwala, Kolkata
                            Resort & Spa, Darjeeling

Mr. Navin Joshi             Mr. Prabhakar Singh         Mr. Pradeep Lata
MC Member, HRAEI            MC Member                   MC Member
Partner, Teej Restaurant,   Director, Hotel South       Partner, Hotel Swagath,
Kolkata                     Park, Jamshedpur            Kolkata

10 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

Mr. Punam Chand               Mr. Rajiv S Kothari      Mr. Shanker Singh
Agarwal                       MC Member                MC Member
MC Member                     Director, One Step-Up,   Partner, Hotel Esteem,
Director, Ridhi Sidhi         Kolkata                  Kolkata
Confectioners, Kolkata

Mr. Souvagya Kumar            Dr. Suborno Bose         Mr Vinaay Malhotra
Mohapatra                     MC Member                MC Member
MC Member                     MD, Indismart Hotel      MD, Viramma Resort,
Executive Director,                                    Siliguri
Mayfair Lagoon, Bhubaneswar

Mr. Vijay Dewan               Mr. Vishwanath Goenka    Mrs. Pema Lhamu
MC Member                     MC Member                Lamtha
MD, The Park, Kolkata         MD, Vishwaratna Hotel,   MC Member
                              Guwahati                 CEO, Tamarind

                                                            MYSTIC EAST | 11
NEWS

THE PARK TURNS                                                50
T
        HE Park hotels, the icon-         (1968), another in Delhi (1987).         I started working with my father
        ic landmark of Kolkata (nee          Priya Paul, the current chairperson   (Surrendra Paul) that The Park would
        Calcutta), just turned 50. The    of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels,        become this fantastic hotel that has
golden jubilee of the pioneer of luxu-    and the daughter of Surrendra Paul,      changed the way hoteliering is seen
ry hotel chains in India celebrated the   joined the company after graduat-        in India. I want to thank my family
milestone with elan, kicking off cele-    ing from Wellesley College (US) as a     for supporting that idea and letting
brations with 50 hours of partying at     marketing manager at The Park New        me just create and be free and wait
its flagship property in the city.        Delhi. She became Acting General         sometimes patiently for those re-
   The late Jit Paul and late Surren-     Manager in 1989 and succeeded her        turns. I am happy to have started this
dra Paul started Apeejay Surrendra        father Surrendra Paul as Chairperson     celebration in Calcutta because No-
Group’s first hotel The Park, with 150    of the hospitality division of Apeejay   vember 1 is the birthday of The Park,
rooms on fashionable Park Street in       Surendra Group in 1990.                  Calcutta. My parents would have this
Kolkata in November 1967. This was           Ms Paul said, while the celebra-      fabulous party every November 1,
followed by one in Vishakapatnam          tions took off, “I never thought when    which many people would remember,

12 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

                                                          The Park hotels just turned 50, kicking off celebrations in Kolkata
                                                          with 50 hours of partying on November 1, featuring burlesque, EDM
                                                          and champagne. Guests, flew in from across the world to celebrate
                                                          the milestone

and they would invite all of Calcutta      periences,” said Dewan.                      historic Gemini Film Studios.
to come and celebrate. That’s a fitting       One of The Park’s greatest                  With eight hotels in total belonging
remembrance to start tonight with.”        strengths has been design, with each         to The Park collection, six are in In-
  Managing director of The Park Ho-        hotel reflecting the city it is set in. Ms   dia’s major cities and two are in the
tels Vijay Dewan joined The Park in        Paul said to The Hindu, “Location            resort destinations. This year, sees the
1991. “Our strength is derived from        drives the art and design. Hyderabad         ninth Park hotel opening – The Park
our culture and values. From the late      to me is all about spicy food and jew-       Mumbai. What’s more, the brand is
Surrendra Paul, we acquired the val-       els. So the hotel reflects that. When        launching a mid-market design ho-
ues of teamwork, fairness and fun.         we opened in Bangalore the tech              tel concept, called Zone By The Park,
And from the late Jit Paul, the val-       boom was happening, so we played             with 17 properties in the pipeline slat-
ues of reliability, trust and integrity.   with a lot of colour. Chennai’s prop-        ed to open in the next three years.
These values are our source of guid-       erty was set where the old Gemini              In an age of disruptors like Airbnb,
ance and inspiration. In 1995, under       film studio once stood. So that drove        Paul says they work hard on keep-
the leadership of Ms Paul (Priya), a       the design there. I am also a collec-        ing things fresh as she believes that
new vision was created. Since then         tor of film memorabilia, so I enjoyed        hotels have to be happening, global
we have been able to establish our-        putting that hotel together.” The Park       spaces. She’s indeed built a colourful
selves as a hotel known for events,        Chennai happens to be a member of            legacy that looks fresh and flourish-
entertainment, food and unique ex-         Design Hotels, it is carved out of the       ing after five long decades.

                                                                                                            MYSTIC EAST | 13
NEWS

LIQUIDITY, THE NEW DIGITAL PLATFORM FOR
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
R
         EVOLUTION is what has been
         the driving force in society for
         decades now, it is the concept,
based on which our world today is be-
ing formed.
   With due advancement since the
turn of this millennium; there have
been revolutions, on large scales,
which have essentially transfigured
the world we live in. Multitude of in-
dustries across the world as well as
lifestyles, hobbies, passions and aspi-
rations have all changed with this rev-
olutionary spirit which man contains.
   It is with this honest spirit, that we
“Liquidity” have embarked upon our
mission to transform the language of
the food and beverage industry, on an
unprecedented scale and in an non-                                                                                                                   At the click of a button, the consum-
pareil manner, a manner so lucid and          Revolution is what has been the driving
                                              force in society for decades now, it is
                                                                                                                                                   er can compare the prices at all listed
                                                                                                                                                   outlets for any drink of their choice.
                                              the concept, based on which our world

subtle in its true essence yet so effi-
                                              today is being formed.
                                                                                              COMPARE      RESERVE     REDEEM

                                                                                                                                                     The outlet can levy prime-time
                                              With due advancement since the turn of this millennium; there have been revolutions, on

cient in its operations as has perhaps        large scales, which have essentially transfigured the world we live in. Multitude of industries
                                              across the world as well as lifestyles, hobbies, passions and aspirations have all changed

                                                                                                                                                   charges for their busiest and most
                                              with this revolutionary spirit which man contains.

never been witnessed before.                  It is with this honest spirit, that we “Liquidity” have embarked upon our mission to transform
                                              the language of the food and beverage industry across India, on an unprecedented scale and

   The locus of the idea is to provide
                                              in an nonpareil manner, a manner so lucid and subtle in its true essence yet so efficient in its
                                              operations as has perhaps never been witnessed before.                                               business-generating hours which can
                                                                                                                                                   contribute greatly to increased profit
                                              The locus of the idea is to provide a digital platform for facilitating the ordering of a vast

a digital platform for facilitating the       range of alcoholic beverages complemented by a selective range of food items from different
                                              outlets that will be listed on our platform.

ordering of a vast range of alcoholic         The ordering of the alcoholic beverages will take place on the basis of a demand-supply price
                                              algorithm which we have developed and further improvised upon and perfected for the                  margins for the outlet which makes
                                              fluctuation of the prices of different drinks at different outlets in accordance with the

beverages complemented by a selec-            increase or decrease in demand for that particular drink at that particular outlet on that
                                              particular date.                                                                                     our app a lucrative proposition for
tive range of food items from differ-                                                                                                              them.
                                              It gives ease of use and comfort to the consumer given the fact that it enables one to make
                                              an order to be consumed at the time they schedule at the outlet they desire and helps in table
                                              reservation on the busiest of nights. It is a two way street though, where the outlet is guaran-

                                                                                                                                                     With our app, no more will the
                                              teed the amount of business as per the quantity of the order even before the customer

ent outlets that will be listed on our        arrives there.

                                              At the click of a button, the consumer can compare the prices at all listed outlets for any drink

platform. It has a unique concept at          and food of their choice, see the outlet profile, get notified about events in the outlets and get
                                              alert for the offers in the town.                                                                    consumer have to pay the unjustified
its foundation however.                       The outlet can levy prime-time charges for their busiest and most business-generating hours
                                              which can contribute greatly to increased profit margins for the outlet which makes our app
                                              a lucrative proposition for them.
                                                                                                                                                   menu prices at outlets and no longer
   The ordering of the alcoholic bev-         With our app, no more will the consumer have to pay the menu prices at outlets and no
                                              longer will the outlet have to struggle to get rid of their bumper stock solely due to their high    will the outlet have to struggle to get
                                              pricing.

erages will take place on the basis           On the contrary, it allows the member establishment to extract higher profits on drinks which
                                              are high in demand yet low in stock.
                                                                                                                                                   rid of their bumper stock solely due to
of a demand-price algorithm which             It is a win-win situation for both sides, all of it for nothing more than a simple download for
                                              the consumer and the signing of an enlistment form for the establishment.
                                                                                                                                                   their high pricing.
we have developed and further im-             Join hands with us, as we give our industry the change it deserves.
                                                                                                                                                     On the contrary, it allows the mem-
provised upon and perfected for the                                                                                                                ber establishment to extract higher
fluctuation of the prices of different                                                                                                             profits on drinks which are high in
drinks at different outlets in accor-       consumed at the time they schedule                                                                     demand yet low in stock.
dance with the increase or decrease         at the outlet they desire and helps                                                                      It is a win-win situation for both
in demand for that particular drink at      in table reservation on the busiest of                                                                 sides, all of it for nothing more than
that particular outlet on that particu-     nights. It is a two way street though,                                                                 a simple download for the consumer
lar date.                                   where the outlet is guaranteed the                                                                     and the signing of an enlistment form
   It gives ease of use and comfort to      amount of business as per the quan-                                                                    for the establishment.
the consumer given the fact that it         tity of the order even before the cus-                                                                   Join hands with us, as we give our
enables one to make an order to be          tomer arrives there.                                                                                   industry the change it deserves.

14 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

FSSAI TO PRESERVE INDIA’S
CULINARY HERITAGE

F    OOD Safety and Standards Au-
     thority of India (FSSAI), the
government agency entrusted with
                                           and then take it to the people through
                                           a digital ‘FoodCast’. The purpose is to
                                           rediscover, revive and preserve some
                                                                                     prehensive as possible,” he said.
                                                                                        Preeti Sinha Senior President, Yes
                                                                                     Bank, and Global Convenor of Yes
the task of enforcing food safety and      of the lost heritage of India in food.    Global Institute said that preservation
hygiene standards in the country,          The FoodCast, Agarwal said will help      of food culture is part of the nation
has embarked on a comprehensive            people choose the right recipes based     building exercise that the bank want
initiative involving general public,       on the seasonal vegetables and food       to be associated with. Yes Global In-
stakeholders of the food and culinary      ingredients available in the market.      stitute had earlier partnered INTACH
industry and business and industry in        Later speaking to HospitalityBiz,       in Heritage Management and Heritage
the country, to digitally document the     Agarwal said that FSSAI will involve      Walk as part of promoting India’s rich
cuisines of India. This was announced      leading chef associations in the coun-    culture and heritage. “We feel that In-
by Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI in the        try as well as use “crowd sourcing” of    dia’s food heritage, its organic nature,
sidelines of a national conclave on ‘In-   recipes to create large repository of     geographic indications are largely un-
dian Food Culture’ organised by FS-        recipes on the platform. State gov-       tapped. By promoting food culture,
SAI in collaboration with YES Bank         ernments as well as Tourism develop-      we want to encourage more entrepre-
Global Institute in Delhi.                 ment corporations in different states     neurs to set up businesses around In-
  Speaking to media, Agarwal said          are also asked to contribute to the       dian food and create livelihood oppor-
that the idea is to create a repository    repository, he added. “Currently, we      tunities for many in India,” she said.
of Indian recipes and get them vali-       have a small database of 200 recipes
dated by eminent chefs in the country      only. Objective is to make it as com-     Source: Hospitality Biz India

                                                                                                         MYSTIC EAST | 15
HRAEI CORNER

IN FOCUS
The 56th Annual General Meeting of the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India
was held at The Park, 17, Park Street, Kolkata-700016 on Wednesday, August 30, 2017.
This included the presentation of the audited Balance Sheet and the Income & Expenditure
Account for the period from 1st April 2016 to 31stMarch 2017. The meeting was followed
by high tea at the venue

 The Annual General Meeting of HRAEI at The Park, Kolkata

16 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

Members at an informal discussion during the tea break

Mr Sudesh Poddar was re-elected as the President         Mr T.S. Walia was conferred with the honour of President
                                                         Emeritus

                                                                                                MYSTIC EAST | 17
HRAEI CORNER

 The audited balance sheet of the past year was presented

 Members attend the Annual General Meeting

18 | MYSTIC EAST
INTERVIEW

NORTH EAST INDIA NEEDS A LEG UP
Vishwanath Goenka, is the Chief Executive of the Guwahati and Bangalore -based VRS group. He has
conceived and pioneered business into hospitality, agriculture and real-estate sectors. He was four time
President of Hotels & Restaurant Association of Assam, and a senior member of HRAEI. He is also a
founding and a previous board of director member of Guwahati Stock Exchange and a Board Member of
Assam State Agriculture Marketing Board and President, Lions Club of Guwahati. Recently he spoke to
Mystic East regarding the scenario of hospitality business in the North East India.

What's the situation of hotel                                                           ment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP)
business in Assam and North                                                             would have helped to further
Eastern India?                                                                          improve the situation here?
The Supreme Court order banning                                                         The North East Industrial and In-
sale of liquor along national and state                                                 vestment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP),
highways affected several bars and                                                      introduced in 2007. It was supposed
restaurants in Assam and North East.                                                    to have played an important role in
For years most of these have been op-                                                   positioning North East as a viable
erating by the highways. Many of the                                                    and competitive investment desti-
associations, including ours, had ap-                                                   nation for the hospitality sector. In-
pealed to the apex court to relax the                                                   centives and subsidies--on fixed cap-
verdict so as to revive the business.       son Blu, though categorised as a four       ital investment and working capital
The second issue is that roads in the       star property, its amenities are almost     loan, exemption of excise duty and
region requires improvement for             as good as a five star hotel. Since there   reimbursement of insurance premi-
conducive growth of tourism and             was a vacuum in this area of hospitali-     um--were to be available for 10 years.
hospitality in the region. The roads        ty they are apparently doing good busi-        Although the scheme was suppos-
need to improve in the entire region.       ness. One more--Novotel--is coming          edly valid up till 2017, on December
The Golden Quadrilateral of Nation-         up. But I don't have the exact idea of      1, 2014, the department of industrial
al Highways cover only a part of the        the business they are doing. You have       policy and promotion at the Centre
North East. The third issue is a pro-       to talk to them for this information.       had issued a circular, suspending the
posal that Guwahati can be turned                                                       registration of new units under the
into an airline hub with facilities for     What's situation of three star              scheme. Subsequently, on Decem-
night parking for airplanes. Interna-       hotels?                                     ber 5, the ministry clarified that the
tional flights could take off from Gu-      These hotels are doing excellent busi-      scheme was neither cancelled nor
wahati. Bangladesh, Myanmar, China          ness. Many new hotels are coming            withdrawn. So, the policy will be ap-
and South East Asian countries are          up in this category as there is a huge      plicable for ongoing projects.
close to this city. Flights from Delhi      opportunity for them. They cater to a          The policy has played an indispens-
and Kolkata can be routed in the be-        growing number of business travellers       able role in positioning the Northeast
ginning. This may take time, but in         and tourists in the area. Of late, trav-    as a viable and competitive invest-
the long run it will help development       elling has increased in North East In-      ment destination. More than 100 ho-
of tourism in the state and the region.     dia. The area is more or less peaceful      tels have been set up in the north-east-
                                            now and there has been good publicity       ern region since the scheme came
In recent times, five star hotels           about the positive vibes. All these are     into operation and several hospitality
have come up in Guwahati.                   drawing more tourists in the region.        projects are in the pipeline.
Many more are coming up. But                                                               We urge the government to revoke
is there a market for all these?            Do you think special incentive              this suspension at the earliest and
Till now, there is only one five star ho-   schemes like the now defunct                dispel any ambiguity over continua-
tel--Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati. Radis-       North East Industrial and Invest-           tion of the scheme.

20 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

                                                     SURVEY

                                  Myths
                                  around
                                 Millennial
                                 Traveller
        We expose five myths about Millennial travellers from budgeting to couch-
       surfing. It’s no secret that Millennials love to travel, and their wanderlust and
      spending habits are redefining the world of travel. Also known as Generation Y,
      Millennials are typically defined as young adults born after the early 1980s. But
             are they really so different from Gen Xers or even Baby Boomers

W
            EGO.COM, a travel search    Wego adding that by 2020, spending         er vague signals, including reliance
            site in the Asia Pacific    by Millennials on goods and services       on travel review sites, the use of meta
            and Middle East, recently   will reach USD$1.4 trillion, up from       search, mobile usage, social media
came up with a report aiming to clear   US$600 billion in 2013.                    and continuous connectivity.”
the air of profiles and descriptions       To effectively reach this market,         “Travel reviews are popular, how-
of what some are calling the second     largely born between 1984 and 2004,        ever Millennials are far more influ-
baby boom generation – the Millenial    Mulia says that travel marketers need      enced by family and friends when it
Travellers.                             to rethink their approach and be able      comes to making travel choices, and
  Considered the next baby boom-        to sort through, and go beyond ex-         don’t rely solely on review sites to
ers, Millennial Travellers in the US    isting myths. “Some travel market-         make their decisions,” he continued.
alone will reach 78 million by 2020,    ers are doing a great job, but unfor-      “Another myth is that Millennials
and outnumber baby boomers by           tunately more are getting it wrong,”       prefer travelling solo, yet a 2013 BCG
18 million,” highlighted Rick Mulia,    Mulia said. “It’s not quite as simple as   study found that Millennials enjoy
Chief Advertising & Sales Officer,      relying on a set of common, and rath-      travelling in organised groups, or

                                                                                                      MYSTIC EAST | 21
SURVEY

 Millennials travelling solo is rather an exception than a norm

with extended family or friends, so if      is that they want what we all do; great   a hotel room, and more like a home
your strategy is focussed on individ-       value without missing out on those        away from home. The smart, com-
ual travel experiences, you could be        added comforts, which make a huge         pact design, appeals to their desire for
missing the mark.”                          impression on them. In this way           great style, but at a budget price.”
   “At Wego we advise our advertising       they’re actually driving changes in the      Airlines too are especially targeting
clients to approach Millennial Trav-        way the travel industry caters to them    Millennials with Premium Economy
ellers by focusing on a good mobile         already.”                                 seats, delivering an affordable, yet
experience, integrating clever social          “Starwood’s Aloft Hotel, for exam-     slightly more comfortable flight expe-
media and ensuring the path to pur-         ple, which is designed to appeal to the   rience. “Wego has now introduced the
chase is as frictionless as possible,”      Millennials with the slogan ‘Style at     option of searching Premium Econ-
Mulia added. “Their content needs to        a steal’, removed their lobby restau-     omy airfares and invested heavily in
cut through the noise, communicate          rant and business centre and replaced     developing the Wego travel app to en-
with authentic messaging and create         them with a Starbucks-style, pay as       sure the travel planning and booking
a seamless process from planning,           you go, beverage and snack bar.”          experience is seamless and intuitive,”
booking and undertaking a trip.”               “Hotels are evolving to become         he said. “No matter what, if you’re in
   “Yet another myth is that Millenni-      more frequently ‘un-hotels’,” said        the business of travel its imperative
als are extremely budget conscious,”        Mulia. “They’re rethinking the bed/       you consistently evolve and deliver
Mulia continued. “However the truth         bathroom concept to appear less like      fresh experiences that provide great

22 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

value, and approach your marketing
strategies in the same manner.”
   “Forget the myths, the Millennial
Traveller is smart, informed, tech sav-
vy and mingles with a lot of like-mind-
ed travellers. Their presence in the
travel market is still developing and
smart marketers will remain open to
developing with them, by remaining
flexible and responsive to fully meet
their needs,” Mulia concluded.
   Now here are five myths about Mil-
lennial travellers:

1. Millennials are extremely
budget-conscious when they
travel.
This is a common tag for Millennials,
and it makes sense, given that this
generation, just beginning their ca-
reers, is concerned about money.                               Millennials. But the truth is a bit dif-
   Many of them are bound by modest                            ferent.
budgets, agrees Steve Lima, market-                               “Actually they strive for the most
ing manager of G Adventures, which                             authentic experience, wanting to live
is designed for Millennial travelers,                          like a local whatever destination they
“but we find that the typical Millenni-                        desire,” says Leavitt of Active Travels.
al traveling on a group tour with G Ad-                        “Many seek adventure and want us to
ventures spends, on average, $2,600                            get them there the most cost-effective
per person before flights, and chooses                         way.”
trips that are 8 to 10 days in length.                            It’s a similar story from Geckos Ad-
These are not ‘all-inclusive’ trips. Our                       ventures, which organizes group ad-
younger customers are choosing to                              venture trips for travelers ages 18 to
pay for local food, sustainable oper-      This age group      29.
ations, and to tip local guides, whose                            “We don’t do ‘booze cruises’ or sim-
incomes greatly depend on tourist
                                           tread the world,    ilar types of trips,” says Leigh Barnes,
dollars.”                                  affordably and      North America regional director for
   Some Millennials will spend even                            Geckos Adventures. “We show this
more — a lot more, in some cases.
                                           in a immersive      age group the world, affordably and
   “We’ve had Millennials books safa-      way, travelling     immersive, traveling to bucket-list
ris in Tanzania and boutique hotels                            destinations like the Taj Mahal, Ever-
in Bali,” observes Lisa Leavitt of Ac-
                                           to bucket-list      est Base Camp, and on safaris in Af-
tive Travels, a Virtuoso travel agent.     destinations like   rica and Bangkok. Take Morocco, for
“They just want to make sure they’re                           example. It is a predominantly Mus-
spending their hard-earned money
                                           the Taj Mahal,      lim country, and while not officially
wisely and enjoying memorable expe-        the Everest Base    ‘dry’, there are rules around alcohol
riences.”                                                      consumption and limited supplies of
                                           Camp and on         booze even in tourist spots. For Geck-
2. They only want to go to party           jungle safaris in   os Adventures, interest in Morocco
destinations and hang with oth-                                is up 30% in 2017 among American
er Millennials.
                                           central India       travelers.”
It might seem that way from media                                 While G Adventures sees some of
reports and advertisements targeting                           their Millennial customers choosing

                                                                                   MYSTIC EAST | 23
SURVEY

                                  10%
           3%
           OTHER
                              1%
                                  THAILAND

                              INDIA
                                                    5%
                                                  HONG KONG
                                                                  36%
                                                                 PHILIPPINES

                       21%
                       MALAYSIA
                                             4%
                                            SINGAPORE

                                                                    2%
                                                                   AUSTRALIA

                                               19%
                                              INDONESIA

 Millennial travellers in Asia are not much different from their counterparts in other continents

popular party destinations, like Cam-                                                      But not all of them fall asleep with
bodia and Thailand, Lima says that                                                       their iPhones in hand.
“their motivations are well beyond                                                         “A number of them also just want
booze and bars.” Their popular trips                                                     to turn off, escape work, and get ab-
include physically challenging trips                                                     sorbed in the moment,” Leavitt adds.
like hiking the Inca Trail, trekking the                                                 “This is especially true if they’re more
Torres del Paine "W" circuit in Pata-                                                    active and spending their vacation
gonia, traversing the Druk Path in                                                       biking, hiking and rafting."
Bhutan, or ascending to the Andean                                                         Lima says connectivity is import-
"Lost City" in Colombia.                                                                 ant at G Adventures and that “to meet
                                                                                         these needs, we are designing and up-
3. They are obsessed with the                                                            grading digital connectivity on more
Internet, so staying connected                                                           and more of our vessels and overland
is their No. 1 priority.                                                                 vehicles, and improving our app to
“It’s why we love this generation, be-                                                   offer maps, currency conversion and
cause they’ll use all modes of social                                                    add-ons. Our custom-built “Lando”
media — Instagram, Facebook, Twit-                                                       vehicle, for example, offers mobile de-
ter, SnapChat — to post photos from                                                      vice recharge ports at every seat and
their trip,” says Leavitt of Active Trav-                                                Wi-Fi on the go for Millennials who
els. “We get to follow every exciting                                                    are booking Overland Africa trips
moment of their journey.”                                                                with G Adventures.”

24 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

                                                               ing on their needs,” Leavitt of Active
                                                               Travels says. “If they’re going with
                                                               a big group, they’ll ask about villas
                                                               in Riviera Maya or all-inclusives. If
                                                               they’re headed to the Big Island on
                                                               their own, we often seek out more res-
                                                               idential Airbnbs or small inns off the
                                                               radar. But if they’re headed to Barce-
                                                               lona, Paris, or Amsterdam, they tend
                                                               to want boutique design properties,
                                                               preferably with a rooftop bar.”
                                                                  Accommodations on Geckos trips,
                                                               notes Barnes, are far from tradition-
                                                               al. In addition to camping, they offer
                                                               locally owned hotels and inns, guest
                                                               houses and tea houses, as well as
                                                               home stays.
                                                                  Barnes adds that “Millennials know
                                                               budget doesn’t have to mean basic.
                                                               They want things and experiences that
                                                               have a story attached to it, which is why
                                                               Airbnb has such appeal. It’s the same
                                                               for Geckos. Small group tours are a
                                                               more accessible, authentic and person-
                                                               al alternative to independent travel.”

                                                               5. Millennials prefer to book
                                                               trips themselves online.
                                                               Guess what? Travel agents and travel
                                                               planners are all over Millennials, and
                                                               the love is returned. This may be the
                                                               most surprising fact of all. In a June
                                                               2016 report, Skift found that Mil-
                                                               lennials are most likely to use travel
 One out of three Millennial travelers use a travel agent      agents than any other U.S. demo-
                                                               graphic. The report found that 30%
                                                               of Millennial travelers have used an
  But like Leavitt, Lima sees an in-                           agent within the last 12 months.
creasing number of Millennials turn-
ing off their devices and booking
                                            Millennials know      Lima says that “one out of every
                                                               five Millennials booking travel with
off-the-grid trips, such as sailing ad-     budget doesn’t     G Adventures is using a travel agent
ventures, remote homestays and treks
well off the beaten path. “Sometimes,”
                                            have to mean       to help make their decision and find
                                                               the best deals. The no-cost expertise
says Lima, “we all need a digital de-       basic. They        and planning work of a travel agent
tox.”
                                            want things and    is a strong motivator for Millennials,
                                                               who are bombarded with a flood of
4. They prefer Airbnb and                   experiences that   apps, emails and paid ads on social
couch-surfing to traditional
hotels or tours.
                                            have a story       media, and may find themselves over-
                                                               whelmed by the choices.
Not true. Millennials, it seems, “are       attached to it
like everyone else these days, find-                           Source: USA Today and Hospitality
ing the best form of lodging depend-                           Biz India

                                                                                   MYSTIC EAST | 25
FOOD SAFETY

          HIGH GEAR FOR
            SAFE FOOD
   FSSAI is enforcing safety standards at eating places at a war footing. The
    central food regulator has been very proactive with regard to issues like
  safety and standards, including labelling of packaged products and nutrient
  content, which has led to a sharp rise in the number of notices, orders and
                       guidelines issued by it since 2015

A
           SERIES of notifications        Food and Safety guidelines imposed           This 5-step checklist will help you
           and guidelines have been       by the FSSAI here.                         maintain the hygiene standards in
           issued by the Food Safety         Recently in news, we heard the          your restaurants
           and Standards Authority of     shutting down of the 80% the stores
India (FSSAI) to safeguard consumer       of Fast food major McDonald’s across       1) Regular Inspection of
interest as part of the health minis-     Delhi-NCR. Amongst other reasons           Kitchen Areas, Dining Areas,
try's plan to strengthen the regulatory   that have been pointed out by var-         and Restrooms
regime.                                   ious news portals for the closing of       It is a stated fact that every custom-
  The importance of maintaining           Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd        er would want to trust a restaurant
the hygiene standards in restaurants      (CPRL) which runs the McDonald’s           that follows the hygiene rules and has
cannot be stated enough. Hygiene          franchise for North and East India,        been successful in passing health and
in restaurants is not just essential      one of them was that it failed to se-      sanitation standards. You should al-
to ensure the health and safety of        cure regulatory health clearances to       ways have a sufficient stock of clean-
your employees and customers, but         keep the business going. As a result       ing supplies which will ensure that
also because it plays a major role in     of which the closing of 43 of 55 out-      the restaurant is kept clean all the
the perception of your restaurant.        lets of McDonald’s took place in the       time and the hygiene standards in
Customers want to dine at a clean         region. The restaurants under CPRL         the restaurant are met. There should
restaurant that serves hygienic food.     failed to get the mandatory regulatory     be regular inspection of the kitchen
Hygiene is probably the second most       health licenses as it failed to maintain   areas, eating and dining areas, re-
important aspect of running a restau-     hygiene and store-level efficiency. So     strooms by the managers so that they
rant; the first aspect would be of        to avoid such an unfortunate incident      are successful in meeting health and
maintaining food quality. Restaurant      the other restaurants should take this     hygiene requirements that have been
hygiene is also important for acquir-     as a lesson and shall pay attention in     set forth by Food Safety and Stan-
ing the FSSAI license needed to run       maintaining hygiene and cleanliness        dards Authority of India (FSSAI). The
a restaurant. Learn more about the        at their restaurants.                      kitchen area must be properly cleaned

                                                                                                        MYSTIC EAST | 27
FOOD SAFETY

 Perishable items need to be handled with utmost care

to ensure safe food preparation and        2) Guidelines for Staff for               the employees’ hands are washed
hygienic handling.                         Maintaining Personal Hygiene              and thoroughly dried before start-
• All the surfaces that come in direct     It is very well said that cleanliness     ing work, between tasks, and before
  contact with food shall be cleaned af-   begins at home. When talking about        working with food products, equip-
  ter every task with clean towels that    maintaining hygiene standards in          ment, utensils, and linens.
  have not been used anywhere else.        restaurants, one of the most import-      • *Make a routine of changing uni-
• Equipment like Range, Oven,              ant components is the training of the       form after every shift
  Deep-fryer, Freezer, Baking sheets,      staff members about how to maintain       • *Sanitize your hands after every
  Tongs, and others shall be sterilized    personal hygiene at restaurants. Your       three hours while you are on duty.
  at least thrice a week.                  employees can prove to be the most        • *It is extremely important to wear
• Frequently used kitchen items such       important factor for maintaining            proper head gear, hand gloves while
  as cutting boards, blenders, grills,     cleanliness and hygiene. For safe han-      handling food.
  and countertops should also be           dling of the customers, the employees     • *Employees need to change gloves
  sterilized daily.                        should be provided with clean cloth-        as they become soiled, torn and in
• Sanitize the surface areas, such as      ing, proper gloves, hair nets and other     between tasks
  bar tops, table tops and chairs with     safety and hygienic tools which are       • *Any cuts, wounds, or open sores on
  which customer’s come in direct          necessary for overall hygiene mainte-       the hands and arms of restaurant’s
  contact with thoroughly at least         nance.                                      personnel must be completely cov-
  twice a day.                                There should be regular training of      ered with a waterproof bandage.
• The floor near entrances and the ex-     staff members which shall include ba-     • *Employees should be limited to
  its of the restaurant shall be cleaned   sic guidelines such as-                     wearing plain handed rings when it
  daily.                                      Good personal hygiene including          comes to jewellery. Necklaces, brace-
• Clean the toilet bowls, toilet seat      proper and frequent hand-washing            lets, earrings should be avoided.
  and floor of the restrooms after ev-     is one the best way to prevent food-      • *Employees should wear hair re-
  ery few hours.                           borne illness. Always ensure that           straints such as hair nets, hats or

28 | MYSTIC EAST
FOOD SAFETY

 Regular inspection of kitchen areas and dining areas is a must

  scarves that can help in keeping         in increasing the efficiency of your       equipment from inside as well as
  hair fall under control.                 restaurants and also helps maintain        outside.
                                           the hygiene standards in restaurants.    • *Cleaning Items such as wipes,
3) Regular Sanitization of                 Your employees should be aware of          brushes, mops, dishcloths, deter-
Kitchen Equipment                          the misuse of any equipment. The           gent, and sanitizer should all be
Maintaining hygiene standards in           employees how to carefully use, clean      stored carefully and away from food
restaurants also plays an important        and maintain your kitchen equip-           to prevent any kind of contamina-
role in the better functioning and lon-    ment.                                      tion.
gevity of your Kitchen Equipment.            All equipment and surfaces that
Regular maintenance will keep your         have direct contact with food must be    4) Develop a Restaurant
expensive equipment in good func-          cleaned and sanitized thoroughly ac-     Hygiene Checklist
tioning and working order. Follow          cording to the prepared schedules to     To maintain hygiene standards in
a Strict and consistent maintenance        prevent the build-up of bacteria and     restaurants, the manager of the
schedule of your restaurants’ equip-       helps maintain hygiene standards in      restaurant should create a checklist of
ment; you will be able to derive bene-     restaurants.                             the specific cleaning duties and tasks
fits related to both, reduction in ener-     Few of the guidelines are listed be-   that have to be performed by the staff
gy costs and better quality food.          low to keep the equipment in good        members. The cleaning checklist of
   Only when your equipment is reg-        working condition:                       your restaurant will depend on the
ularly cleaned, it can operate at its      • *Switch between the cutting boards.    size of your restaurant.
maximum efficiency. Make a consis-         • *Change sanitizing water at regular       For example, in a small restau-
tent routine of sanitizing the equip-        intervals.                             rant, the cleaning checklist will be as
ment such as Oven, Stove, Grill, Bak-      • *Regularly clean the trash bins.       simple as a list of duties printed on a
ing Plate and others thrice a week.        • *Regularly wash the preparation        single sheet of paper. But when it is
Educating your employees on the              and lining areas.                      a larger restaurant, there is a need of
proper use of the equipment can help       • *Make it a point to clean your         detailed list broken down by job cat-

30 | MYSTIC EAST
FOOD SAFETY

egories with a little of specifications.   can decrease in an unpleasant atmo-
For instance, list out the separate        sphere filled with smoke, high heat,
duties for different sections like dish-   steam and excess moisture.
washing area, cooking line, and food          A restaurant kitchen has different
preparation area. Depending on the         ventilation requirements than that
nature of your restaurant operations,      of the restaurant seating area. Either
it might be appropriate to include         you can go with the traditional HVAC
cleaning duties in a comprehensive         (Heating, ventilation and air condi-
list of tasks that must be performed       tioning) technology system or install
during a shift.                            a Demand Controlled Ventilation
     A restaurant kitchen cleaning         system. DCV system automatically
checklist mainly comprises of the tasks    senses the amount of heat, fumes and
related to cleaning and sanitation that    other elements in the kitchen and run

                                                                                        HACCP and
is done prior to the end of a shift or     only when it is needed that is when
workday. It should be simply stated so     ventilation is required. The efficien-
that it can be easily followed by your     cy of a DCV system is the highest be-

                                                                                        Food Safety
employees. Checklists usually include      cause it works only when it is needed,
check boxes or spaces for employees        thus reducing operating costs.
to confirm when tasks are complet-            The restaurant ventilation system
ed. A restaurant cleaning checklist        should include features like Hoods,          1. Hazard Analysis and Critical
should not, however, be confused with      Exhaust Fans, Makeup air systems,               Control Point (HACCP) is an
a cleaning schedule. Restaurant clean-     Fire suppression.                               internationally recognized
ing schedules are more like detailed          Another reason why you need to               system for reducing the
descriptions of cleaning duties that       maintain hygiene standards in restau-
                                                                                           risk of safety hazards in
clearly specify what has to be cleaned,    rants is that restaurants with bad hy-
when and how it has to be done. Staff      giene are very much likely to fail be-
                                                                                           food.
can refer to the cleaning schedule for     cause no matter how much you plan
any information which will help them       to hide it, the news about poor hygiene      2. A HACCP System requires
in carrying out tasks on the cleaning      can easily get out and earn you bad             that potential hazards are
checklist. However, at the end of ev-      publicity and ultimately you might end          identified and controlled
erything, the key to keeping a kitchen     up losing out on your customers.                at specific points in the
cleaning checklist is consistency.            Unhygienic food preparation can              process. This includes
                                           create an unhealthy environment and             biological, chemical or
5) Ensure Proper Ventilation               can upset your valuable customers. If           physical hazards.Any
It is imperative for any restaurant        your customers develop an impres-
                                                                                           company involved in the
to have a proper ventilation system        sion about your restaurant that it isn’t
in place for the well being of your        clean and hygienic, it is really difficult
                                                                                           manufacturing, processing
restaurant staff as well as customers,     to change their perception. Proper              or handling of food
and plays an integral role to maintain     hygiene in the restaurant would help            products can use HACCP
the hygiene standards in restaurants.      you gain trust from customers. Dirty            to minimize or eliminate
The maintenance of proper restau-          and disorganized things can bring               food safety hazards in their
rant ventilation is essential for safe     the positive energy of your restaurant          product.
preparation and storage of food and        down. Ensure that the restrooms of
also for the boosting of the health        your restaurants are in a well-main-         3. Awareness of food-borne
and morale of employees which will         tained condition. They can prove to             illness is increasing and
further enhance your customers’            be a great indicator of how clean the
                                                                                           concern throughout
comfort. Maintaining proper restau-        rest of your restaurant is.
rant ventilation is essential for the         Therefore, keeping your restaurant
                                                                                           the industry is driving
safe preparation and storage of food,      dining and kitchen areas clean and              the use of HACCP and
the health, and morale of employees        maintaining the hygiene standards in            HACCP based certification
and the comfort of customers. The          restaurants are a big part of the suc-          programs.
efficiency of restaurants’ operations      cess of the restaurant business.

32 | MYSTIC EAST
November - December 2017

                                                                    A
FUTURE                                                                       FTER the "Uberization" of
                                                                             food delivery in India, ex-

VIRTUAL
                                                                             perts predict that more and
                                                                    more virtual restaurants will gradual-
                                                                    ly evolve.
                                                                       You just entered your house after

RESTAURANTS
                                                                    a prolonged day at work, you are too
                                                                    tired to prepare supper and too ex-
                                                                    hausted to leave the house to fetch for
                                                                    food. You are hungry and wish to have
                                                                    a cosy dinner in the warmth of your
                                                                    house while watching your favourite
A new concept of kitchen chains has become the                      TV show or making an assignment
                                                                    in your laptop. What would you do?
new sunshine sector of the overcrowded F&B                          Not to fret, because you have virtual
space, and have emerged as the major disruptors                     restaurants as your saviour.
                                                                       Virtual restaurants work on deliv-
of an industry waiting for some much-needed                         ery-only concept; it only exists online
                                                                    and not physically. You have to place
innovation                                                          an order whenever you want and it will
                                                                    be delivered at your doorstep. Pan of
                                                                    Asia, Pao & Bao, Kadhai House, Box8,
                                                                    and Curry Me Up are among the few
                                                                    virtual restaurants that exist in India.
                                                                       Inception of virtual restaurants
                                                                    concept transpired few years back,
                                                                    but it came into the lime light recently
                                                                    with most of the working profession-
                                                                    als, who stay away from home and
                                                                    wish to have their meals in the com-
                                                                    fort of their home or office preferring
                                                                    virtual restaurants as an alternate to
                                                                    dining out.

                                                                    An evolving trend
                                                                    The concept of virtual restaurant is
                                                                    still at a nascent stage in India and is
                                                                    evolving slowly but gradually in the
                                                                    right direction. But virtual restau-
                                                                    rants still have a very long way to go
                                                                    to get established and come into the
                                                                    foray of an organised sector.
                                                                       Amit Raj, Co-founder, Box8 agrees
                                                                    that the baby steps taken so far are
                                                                    certainly in the right direction for
                                                                    virtual restaurants to become an or-
                                                                    ganised industry. More standardisa-
                                                                    tion and consistency over the years
                                                                    will fortify its position.
                                                                       “Virtual restaurants have no physi-
                                                                    cal presence and operate mostly from
 Such restaurants only exist online without any physical presence   home kitchens or smaller garages, pro-

                                                                                        MYSTIC EAST | 33
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