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Indians revenge dining as country’s top restaurants reopen: Dineout report
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Thursday, 23 September, 2021, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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As the country returns to post-pandemic normalcy, and restaurants, pubs and bars around the country reopen after over a year-and-a-half long lockdown, millions of Indian food lovers are returning to their favourite restaurants in town, thus triggering a nationwide revenge-eating phenomenon.
According to the latest report by India’s largest dining out and restaurant tech platform, Dineout, Delhi, Kolkata & Hyderabad have shown the maximum recovery among metros, with Delhi & Kolkata now operating at nearly 2X of Feb ‘21 levels. Among smaller cities, Jaipur & Ludhiana have shown maximum recovery and are currently operating at nearly 2.5X of Feb ‘21 levels.
The average order value at restaurants (ATV) in July-August has also increased by as much as 20% since February, with smaller cities like Agra (24%), Indore (29%) & Ludhiana (35%) registering the biggest surge in restaurant order value - pointing at a much-needed release of the pent-up demand for good food & socialising with friends & family.
Interestingly, smaller cities like Agra and Ludhiana have also registered the largest average orders of Rs 2509 and Rs 2766 respectively! This is owing to the rise of luxury & fine-dining outlets in smaller cities, and that a significant number of professionals are now working out of their home towns & spending heavily on dining out.
Owing to the higher disposable income thanks to our WFH lifestyles, luxury dining across India has increased by as much as 120% & fine dining by 105%, and the average number of diners per booking has also risen. As offices are reopening, lunch hours are also getting busier at restaurants - 39% of bookings are for lunch hours in August ‘21 compared to 27% in Feb ‘21. Hyderabad (50%) & Chennai (45%) see the maximum business during lunch-time, while Bangalore has shown an increase in lunch-hour bookings from 24% in Feb to over 44% in August owing to the 9 PM curfew. Compared to pre-lockdown, Mumbai has shown an increment in lunch hour bookings, from 24% in Feb to 39% in Aug- this is likely due to restrictions in dining out during dinner time. Among smaller cities, Lucknow has almost 40% dining out during lunch hours, highest among smaller cities as opposed to Agra, where lunchtime bookings dropped from 29% in Feb ‘21 to 17% in August ‘21.
Expressing his enthusiasm in welcoming diners to their favourite Dineout partner restaurants in town, Ankit Mehrotra, co-founder & CEO - Dineout said, “Most food-lovers across the country have been sitting on the fence for over a year and a half about going back to their favourite restaurants in town. It's understandable why millions are now thronging to their favourite eating joints as the Covid-19 health advisory is lifted, and that they can finally step out, and into their favourite restaurants and not be forced to have their meals on their couch. At Dineout, we are confident that the premier sanitation & hygiene-related measures such as fully vaccinated staff & socially distanced seating will reassure diners as we brace to take on this ‘new normal’ as we enjoy incredible dining out experiences with our loved ones.”
The other notable trend is the obvious consumer preference for ‘vaccinated restaurants’. Out of 50,000 outlets across 20 cities listed on the platform, around 67% outlets have fully vaccinated staff. Interestingly, these outlets have contributed 72% of the total business in August ‘21, with Ludhiana, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Delhi & Bangalore boasting the highest percentage of dining out at vaccinated outlets. This is a recurring theme across all Indian cities. For instance, in Kolkata, people have a higher preference for outlets with vaccinated staff. Almost 77% of business has been generated from these outlets despite accounting for only 70% of operational dining in outlets. Similarly, 79% of revenue from Delhi’s outlets are from those with fully vaccinated staff which currently comprise 73% of operational dining-in outlets. In Jaipur, vaccinated outlets account for over 74% of business generation via 70% of the overall operational count. Bengaluru has the highest percentage of fully vaccinated restaurant staff of 78%.
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