DINEOUT SURVEY REVEALS WHERE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO EAT POST LOCKDOWN

New Delhi: As the world grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday interaction with the outside world - public & retail spaces, restaurants, educational institutions, and even with each other has been reoriented for the sake of personal hygiene and public health. These post-COVID sensibilities are leading to major enduring changes in how the country’s food service industry is expected to operate. Based on a recent consumer survey by India’s largest dining out and restaurant tech platform, Dineout, Indian diners are now ranking safety assurance and premier hygiene as top factors when they choose a restaurant to dine in.

The report published by Dineout saw across 20 cities choosing their priorities while shortlisting a restaurant to dine out in a post-COVID world. 

Diner's response to Contactless Dining:
•    Over 96% demand better waitlist management 
•    81% consumers would rather scan a QR on their phone to place an order instead of handling physical menus or tablet-based digital menus.
•    After a dining experience, 60% prefer seamless wallet-based digital payments over cash/cards 
•    85% would choose a digital valet over waiting in possibly contaminated public spaces and 
•    84% would prefer offering digital feedback over physical feedback collection. 

What do people want to eat?
The report also revealed that most of India has been craving Pizza since the lockdown has been implemented, except Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata where their popular & indigenous Biryani recipes reign supreme. 

Which restaurants are diners waiting to go to?
•    77% respondents claimed that they are waiting to dine out with friends and family once the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted 
•    With Big Chill, Barbeque Nation and Social emerging as favorites in Delhi
•    Mumbaikars picked Global Fusion, Poptates and Asia Kitchen
•    Bangaloreans miss going to pubs like Toit, Vapour & Barbeque Nation
•    Aminia, Arsalan and Momo I Am emerge as the top picks in Kolkata. 
•    Contrary to popular belief, Delhitties picked Veg over Non-Veg food
•    Bangaloreans & Lucknowis would rather have their drinks over food.

Ankit Mehrotra, Co-Founder & CEO - Dineout said, “The Indian restaurant industry is rapidly transforming before our eyes, and restaurants will have to rethink their daily operations to suit these post-COVID demands of their customers. While demand will return rapidly as millions of Indians are craving their favorite dishes, it’s also crucial to make the necessary changes to restore consumer confidence and trust by rapidly evolving the restaurant’s approach to using technology as means to implement Contactless Dining . These new adaptations will push the envelope of diner convenience, and we believe they are here to stay even after we survive the physical & economic after-effects of the pandemic.”

Besides the new parameters for restaurant selection, the factors deciding consumer delight have also seen a major overhaul as hygiene takes precedence. Consumers would prefer that the total number of reservations in a certain period be limited with the option to pre-select the seating, ample amounts of sanitisers at tables along with UV sanitised utensils whenever possible. Hygiene ratings with detailed hygiene information, regular hygiene checks & usage of mask and disposable gloves by waiters are likely to be the new standard, with diners expecting service personnel to sanitise tables & chairs after every use.

Dineout has recently unveiled the country’s first end-to-end ‘contactless dining suite’ to help restaurants survive and thrive in a post-COVID-19 world. The brand will also provide PPE Safety Kits to Restaurants to help ensure hygiene measures and is facilitating COVID free certification for restaurants through a licensed lab to ensure all microbiological tests are in place before restaurants restart post the lockdown. Users can see the certified restaurants on the Dineout App with their audit rating. This will help diners make an informed decision and are assured of the safety and hygiene standards, which will help regain consumer confidence in a post-COVID scenario.