The Growing Role of Contactless Dining

Contactless dining has become a buzzword for India’s food service industry in these trying times. It can be helpful in preventing the menace of Covid-19 from invading the guests and staff.

- Jhuma Biswas

Several restaurants in India’s food service and hospitality industry have opted for contactless dining, which can instil a heightened sense of assurance and confidence among the guests.

However, contactless dining can be effective in restaurants only if carried in tandem with a comprehensive range of government prescribed hygienic measures like mandatory wearing of mask for guests and as well as restaurant staff, recording of the body temperature of every guest entering the restaurant, having seating arrangement while keeping the social distancing norms in mind, etc.

Digital and Traditional Routes

“Other than taking all the necessary precautions like regular sanitation of the outlet and kitchen, and keeping a tab on the personal hygiene of all the staff members, we have introduced contactless dining in our restaurant as well. We live in a digital era so why not make good use of it. With us, now the customers view the menu online instead of the physical menu,” informed Shivam Sehgal, Founder, Josh-The High Energy Bar, located at Pitam Pura, New Delhi. One of the integral facets of contactless dining is digital menu.

La Pino’z, Noida is one of the many restaurants in India’s food service industry, which has also introduced comprehensive changes in its dining process to prevent the entry of Covid in its outlet. “We are providing menu link or leaflets instead of laminated menu. Leaflets are disposed off after every use,” asserted Shweta Saran, the Owner of La Pino’z, Sector 104, Noida.

Of course, not all initiatives towards comprehensive hygiene at restaurants are digitally routed; some are perhaps nothing but reinforcing of the old fashioned impeccable hygiene standards which we had conveniently forgotten but are now forced to recollect and practice, and some are based on the new and disturbing but essential culture of social distancing.