Indian eating out space will see more of value dining, striking a fair balance between fine dining and casual dining, experts opined on the 2nd day of the India Food Forum 2019 being held in Mumbai, on February 6.
“The new millennials in India are increasingly setting the agenda towards value dining,” said Anurag Katiar, Executive Director and CEO, deGustibus Hospitality.
“Eating out is not really eating out as 37 percent of the customers prefer for home delivery and 26 percent opt for take-way with only the rest 37 percent literally dining-in. 73 percent of the time, people tend to go in a group while 27 percent is going for solo, of which 23 percent point is at home while 4 percent point is at work place. Within the group consumption of 73 percent, 64 percent points is with family and friends at home,” said Sreyoshi Maitra, Executive Director, IPSOS sharing her insights basis her online survey of 1000 customer across 6 metros.
Children influencing the choice of restaurant is only 21 percent, as per the survey. What’s on the table is more important than where the table is, as choice of food accounts for 58 percent while ambiance accounts for only 15 percent, Maitra said.
However, building brands in the food service business is not only about service and location, but also about touch, taste, smell, sight and sound of the food. In this context, Aditi Prabhu, Consulting Nutritionist pointed out that the food served at hospitals is without any of these senses, which is a huge market and needs re-positioning in terms of wellness, rather than just mundane food.
The Indian foodservice world has left consumers spoilt for choice, with eating out options increasing by the day with new entrants and a wider food variety of international and local cuisines. Though technology is acting as a disruption in the foodservice business, it has helped increase the market size by making the food reach out to the customer and compelling them to experience more with food as also with its service, experts said.
