How fine dining came home in 2020, and will continue to do so in 2021

Since the lockdown in March, many restaurants in India faced a hit that changed the food business forever. While most restaurants have since opened, many Indians are still unsure about dining out. And so, food delivery and premium dining in options, which saw a huge growth in 2020, are all set to to be the new normal in 2021.

New menus for home service

The last few months of 2020 saw the fanciest of restaurants move to the delivery model. Egged by customer response and loyal patrons many restaurants were able to sustain businesses with home deliveries across the country. Chefs and restaurateurs not only tweaked their existing menus but also introduced special ones only for delivery. Chef Jatin Mallick of Trés, Delhi, for instance, introduced a whole new range for his delivery model that was made of recipes that would not spoil in transit. “It is not practical to home deliver dishes that need a certain texture, temperature and presentation. It also spoils the whole experience of our guest,” says Malik, "which is why we brought in new items on the menu". Most other restaurants and hotels around the country followed a similar pattern.

Parties, weddings and more

Industry watchers predict that the whole new segment of home catering for weddings, celebrations, festivals and corporate events that came up in 2020 will continue to gain strength in 2021. “During the lockdown, when weddings and birthdays went online, we catered to many events where we home delivered elaborate festive meals to our clients and their guests,” informs Sameer Seth, founder and CEO of The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro & The Bombay Sweet Shop in Mumbai, who continues to cater to such functions.

A virtual wedding celebration in Chennai scored a viral hit on social media when a city-based catering company joined hands with wedding planners, Weddings and Marigolds, to deliver traditional south Indian wedding meals across the city. While the invitees watched the wedding proceedings over Zoom, the elaborate meals of the wedding were packed in colorful woven baskets, complete with large banana leaves on which food is usually eaten at weddings in Tamil Nadu.

Cloud kitchens come calling

Chefs and entrepreneurs who had been planning to launch restaurants brought the same quality of food through cloud kitchens this year. Chef Vikramjit Roy and Anurodh Samal’s Hello Panda in Gurgaon is one such example. While the duo had plans to open a sprawling Pan Asian restaurant, the lockdown put a break on it. This is when they redesigned the model and launched a premium delivery kitchen to cater to the same segment of diners. Their kitchen has since become a niche brand and the duo has expanded and launched Indian and Chinese specialty brands too.

Packaging and presentation

Packaging and presentation have become an important part of dine-at-home experiences in India. Corrugated paper boxes, ceramic handis, branded cases and unique presentation (on trays, in cloth bags, with cutlery, inside terracotta pots) have replaced plastic boxes. Being green, eco-friendly and tamper-proof have become the ultimate goal and attractive presentation has become an important way to catch the diners attention.

Do it yourself gourmet meals

While ordering a meal comes with its share of joy the year also saw people wanting to put together fancy gourmet meals. This niche segment developed during lockdown with do-it-yourself kits put together by the finest chefs, restaurants, chocolatiers and even bartenders. Burgers, pastas, pizzas, became DIY favorites and not only metros but smaller cities also took well to the concept. Chef Unnati Gupta, who runs her home kitchen in Lucknow found that her DIY kits had many takers, “because the technical part is taken care of and clients enjoy finishing the dishes and serving them at home," she says. With kits that contains even the smallest detail, DIY offerings have seen a growing demand.

A trend to stay

It may have seemed like a passing trend, but dining at home is not going anywhere. It may just get bigger in the year to come “With the pandemic not subsiding and vaccine availability to all being a time-consuming project, it may take up to the third quarter of 2021 for things to go back,” says Chef Vikramjit Roy. Like him, most chefs, restaurateurs, culinary experts, and even consumers feel home dining would continue to grow in 2021.