Page 74 - Hospitality Horizon - February-March 2021

a long life moving ahead,” says Anurag Katriar,
President, National Restaurants Association of
India (NRAI) and Executive Director, deGustibus
Hospitality. However, he is quick to add that,
contrary to popular perception, in absolute terms,
the cloud kitchen business did not grow. “In fact,
it was much lesser than the pre-pandemic levels
but since the dine-in was totally shut the delivery-
only model became the only lifeline for both the
operators and the consumers,” he explains.
“Overall, it is an interesting model but it is still
evolving. During the pandemic, it gained a lot of
prominence not because it grew on its own but
largely because there was no other source of
business in F&B at that point of time.”
Chef Vineet Manocha, Vice-President Culinary,
Lite Bite Foods, concurs. “There is no doubt that
the food delivery volumes have increased
primarily due to the restricted/regulated
movement of guests,” he says. “Food delivery has
been happening in various forms but the word
‘cloud kitchen’ has now become a buzz word. Any
kitchen which is capable of producing food can be
termed as cloud kitchen especially because it does
not require a face.”
Zorawar Kalra, Founder and MD, Massive
Restaurants, opines that cloud kitchens have
definitely gained prominence, pointing out that
it’s important to have cloud kitchens in the
post-Covid era. “We too have been working on
cloud kitchen-based concepts and models,” he
points out. “We will be extending our existing
brands to cloud kitchens so that they can deliver.
We are also positioning ourselves to be able to
take advantage of cloud kitchens and ensure that
a lot of our products are available in a larger
geographical area.”
He adds: “As a company, we at Massive
Restaurants are going to look at adapting. For “NOT HAVING A FACE
example, delivery that has traditionally been less UNDER THE NAME IS
than 10 per cent of our revenue will now play a
larger role.” ANOTHER DISADVANTAGE
IN THE CURRENT TIMES
NEW PLAYERS WHERE HYGIENE PLAYS A
While cloud kitchens have many benefits, the
model also has its fair share of disadvantages, CRUCIAL ROLE TO MAKE
especially for new players. Experts feel that since OR BREAK A BRAND.”
the fate of cloud kitchen depends solely on
third-party food service aggregators (FSAs), over Anurag Katriar, President, National Restaurants
time, it may prove to be a deterrent. Moreover, Association of India and ED, deGustibus Hospitality

74 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021 hospitality horizon