Bill in Lok Sabha seek cap on spending, to hit catering industry

The menu at weddings and the list of guest should be limited to check extravagance, proposes a new bill to be taken up in parliament. The bill raised by Congress lawmaker Ranjeet Ranjan wife of Pappu Yadav also suggests that those spending more than five lakhs on a wedding be asked to do a good turn by contributing towards weddings of girls from poor families.

But as somebody says, a way to man’s heart is through food, this bill may destroy the future of the Catering Industry in India without which the lavish and the extravaganza that one does at an outdoor party or wedding is of no importance. Over the last five years the catering industry has witnesses an upsurge in the growth with chefs promoting cuisines, establishment of the new age hotel schools and number of catering institutes. According to a report more than three million restaurants are now dominating the food and beverages market changing the scene of the old age catering industry. Today, catering has become an important part of the social events and gathering and this doesn’t ends here people today look out for best caterers and even the celebrity caterers to fulfil their needs as we take our food very seriously. Food is the most important thing that makes any show a success and good food is always appreciated.

“While I understand the sentiment behind law. I think this goes against everything we know of being a democracy which has left a very bad taste in the mouth. The second aspect I don’t think that has been taken into consideration is inflation as 5 lakhs is a really small amount in today’s day and age which is surely crossed by private events like anniversary celebrations. I feel that any form of restriction is absolutely absurd and that the donation percentage should be reduced and made voluntary. The courts I think have forgotten that this industry supports a very substantial part of our population as its not only the event professionals and artists that thrive in this industry it has created jobs for everyone,” shares Zeenia Percy Master, CEO, Xenia Hospitality Solutions adding that the larger this industry gets the more lives it tends to change. However, is counterproductive in the long run and an infringement on our personal rights.

The industry which is mainly scattered with few big players in the space has seen some advancement in the scenario by entering of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs in this market who have started taking things seriously. But, with this pill getting passed may hamper the growth of the industry which is also contributing to the overall GDP and promotion of tourism and culture in the country. These days catering are no more limited to weddings and birthday parties in the country; it has gone way ahead in terms of having an occasional experience. "There is no denying that marriages, in spite of modern times, remain under excessive duress to contain all levels of pomp and show. Parents, especially of the bride, are under self-imposed pressure to spend every available penny to create extravagance beyond their means and I welcome the suggestion of this bill. However, it will impact the wedding market in entirety from venue to decor to catering and related set-ups,” adds Sonia Mohindra, Director of Under One Roof Hotel Consultants.
Though, there could be a possibility that instead of having a big fat wedding people will go for a small much organised, a compact menu wedding and there could be an option out there for home based chefs and online aggregators to deliver food to these parties. “If this is tabled and passed, I expect to see two major changes - one, rather than an extravagant wedding, people will go in for multiple small events pact through a period as a way to circumvent this ruling. And second, more cost effective solutions without compromising quality. We, at FoodCloud, believe it will positively impact us. With over 300 home chefs on board, all of them specialists in cuisines and yet not at the price of Dum Pukht or Bukhara, 'cost effective' weddings will reach out to this new spectrum of chefs, who're ready and waiting to serve up both regional and global specialities at one-fourth the cost. Also, well-budget and well-carved out meal experiences would rise without getting the limelight that a hotel or restaurant attracts for such a function,” points Vedant Kanoi, founder of FoodCloud.in.

Hence, we can say that this bill may affect the catering industry in a way if passed, but there is a growing opportunity for the home chefs and online players who are catering exotic food and menu to the customers.