Mr. Sarna, the owner of Wat-A-Burger, Dwarka, Delhi, noticed something strange during the evening rush at the marketplace where the outlet is situated. Glancing through his food joint he observed that the outlet was relatively empty, but the figures for the sales reflected a different story altogether. That is not just the story of Wat-A-Burger, but of every other food joint and restaurant which is placed out there in the market. Finding all these food joints to be empty surely creates a picture of the business to be going on badly, but glancing through the statistics might change the view entirely. As over the years the food industry has evolved there have been several changes ranging from a change in cuisines, size and also how the industry operates. The most drastic change that this sector has witnessed is the involvement of Information Technology (IT) in its operations. This additive ingredient has its pros and cons to it. The evolution brought about by technology in the restaurant business is evident from how the tagline of Zomato also evolved from "Discover places to eat around you" to " Kya pata call ho na ho ( stop dialing for delivery, order food online at Zomato."Â
The change in tagline suggests how IT initially enabled the restaurants to be found online but took an entirely different turn of delivering food through this online platform. The sales figure showing a higher trend and the dine-ins showing a decreasing trend is the outcome of this online delivery. This trend of delivering food online through applications on various devices has impacted not only the businesses of the restaurants and food outlets but also our social lives. In this age of convenience and comfort, the involvement of technology in every aspect of our lives is making us less of a "social animal" and more of a "caged animal." Every other individual now prefers to order food through various applications like Zomato, Swiggy, Uber Eats, and Food Panda, which is offering them with their food being delivered right at their doorstep even that at lower prices in way of promotions which these apps are offering. This life of comfort has changed the entire concept of going out for food with friends and family. Previously dinner and lunches were through which conversations were initiated which enabled people to socialize more. Only a few months ago India's most loved coffee shop ‘Café Coffee Day' launched a ‘virtual restaurant at its outlet to cater to only orders from UberEATS. The international coffee chain Starbucks also did not lag in this race of delivering online. Coffee also being delivered just at a single click has entirely changed the picture of coffee shops and the special times spent there. This trend which is being current witnessed mostly among the younger crowds is also spreading to the older generations.Â
In addition to impacting the way of eating food and social interactions, the technology has adversely impacted the profits of the restaurants and food joints. The food industry has no other option than to adapt to this online mechanism simply to keep up with the quickly changing consumer demands. Due to swelling online demand for food, the frequency of Dine-ins at the restaurant is reducing which is resulting in lower profits. The profits gained by delivering food online are distributed among the service provider and the restaurant. Earlier through the means of dine-ins and direct delivery by the restaurant itself, the restaurant owners earned higher profits but now these same profits are to be divided between these third party online delivery services of Zomato and UberEATS and the business owner. The food joint owners are worried, as apart from impacting the profits the online mechanism will cost the food industry in many different ways. Most of the restaurants point out that dine-in allows them to provide the services that would enhance the dining experience of the consumer, but providing food through a third party online platforms, restricts the control their control. The rating system which Zomato uses to rate different restaurants is another concern of the food industry. These ratings sometimes do not reflect the correct picture hence reducing the brand value for many food outlets.
Other than negatively impacting the restaurant industry, the online delivery mechanism has enabled us to access food even at the times of emergency. Whether it's raining outside or the sun is shining brightly, these Zomato delivery boys will always be there to deliver the food we need. The online sales have also enabled many of the restaurants to have become known and popular through online delivery. Many of the restaurants which earlier were not witnessing sales have shown an increasing sales figure post the application of online delivery mechanism. But still the concept of going out with family and friends to discover different restaurants rules over the unlimited access to food. Getting wet in rain to find a ‘Chai Tapri' is surely more fun than ordering the same at home. Similarly, though these online applications have proved to be a boom for some restaurants it is not the same for all.
As every coin has two sides to it, so does the evolution of technology, but it is in our hands to use it appropriately without harming the existing business ethics. It is evident that the online system of food delivery is here to stay and so is the dine-ins at the restaurants, therefore, we the consumers have to be rational in making our choices so that the two systems can co-exist without costing much harm to each other. The consumers have to devise an appropriate mix of the number of times we are ordering food and the number of times we go out to have food. As we being social animal do need human interaction to makes our lives more enjoyable and curious.
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