Dipankar Biswas, Food & Beverage Manager, Howard Johnson by Wyndham Bengaluru Hebbal.

● What are some of the latest trends in the F&B domain?

Consumer needs and wants drive innovation in the F&B sector. Here are some of the latest trends that the industry has witnessed.

Plant-based foods

If you pay attention to trendy social media pages, vegetarianism and veganism seem like they’ve taken over the world. The vegan diet has gained hype recently and people are always looking out for healthier food options.

Sustainability

Sustainability has taken centre stage not only for consumers but also for producers. People are now making conscious food choices that can impact the environment in a positive way. Several sustainable practices have been adopted by the industry over the years.

Going Global Local

These days it is more about experiential dining, people are looking out for unique experiences instead of time-tested casual dining. There is a shift in consumer behaviour, from preferring global cuisines, they are more inclined towards hyper-local/regional cuisine. Farm to Table concept is also growing tremendously as more and more people are becoming health conscious.

● What untapped opportunities can hotels explore by utilising their existing F&B infrastructure?

Hotels brought in many new concepts and innovations during the pandemic with the help of the existing F&B infrastructure. There are always some or other untapped opportunities lying ahead of us for revenue generation. It is all about grabbing the right opportunity, and executing & implementing it to gain fruitful results.

● How is the hotel handling food wastage?

At Howard Johnson By Wyndham Bengaluru Hebbal, here’s how we are handling food wastage.

1. Accurate purchase of raw materials. It is often noticed that most of the food gets wasted in warehouses. We do keep a check on it by ordering optimally.

2. Quantity of served food. Portion size can be kept under a check from time to time.

3. Use of POS Technology. Technology is the best way to minimise food wastage.

4. Food donation and recycling. This is another practice being followed religiously at the property to ensure minimal or no food wastage.

● Should hotels consider leasing kitchens for cloud kitchen requirements during non-peak hours?

Cloud kitchens operate solely with kitchen staff and delivery personnel. Without the need for hosts or servers, the labour cost gets significantly reduced. However, whether it’s a good idea to lease out your kitchen or not is entirely up to the operator’s discretion.

● What about hotels leasing their F&B spaces to standalone marquee restaurant brands on a revenue-share model? 

Again, there is no right or wrong in this decision. It is all about an individual’s preference and what makes sense in a particular environment.