TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR HAND

F&B establishments are increasingly adopting their online ordering platform to take direct orders without a large upfront cost and without paying commissions to aggregators

- PRANITA BHOSALE

While many F&B establishments had online ordering even in the pre-COVID era, the pandemic forced them to embrace this whole-heartedly as their very V survival hinged on it. However, most of them leveraged third-party platforms for better and wider customer reach.

However, Parthiv Patel, Co-Founder and CEO of Petpooja, pointed out that they can develop their ordering platform without investing too much finance, time, and effort. Multiple platforms operating on a SaaS model offer a monthly payment module (SaaS) for restaurants to create their ordering website.

So, while earlier these establishments had to pay a developer upwards of Rs 1 lakh to design everything from scratch, they can get their ordering website for fewer than INR 1000 per month from companies like Thrive or Petpooja.

Patel cited how Noshi, a pan-Asian restaurant in Delhi and Gurugram, has seen good business results since adopting the online ordering platform (OOP). Not only have their large base of their loyal customers shifted to direct ordering from the brand instead of opting for aggregators, but they can also take direct orders without a large upfront cost and no commission. He believes this is just the beginning; soon, more restaurateurs will follow suit.

During the pandemic, many restaurateurs were bogged by high rent, but even more, they were affected by inventory costs. How can they leverage technology to reduce this continual financial strain?

The first step for optimising any process is knowing where you currently stand. There are two key features in this regard that allow restaurants to know their accurate inventory and food costs and take appropriate action.