"Cloud kitchen brands fit perfectly well in this situation," says Ishita Yashvi of Cross Border Kitchens

What are some trends that are on rise during the covid?

Some of the trends that have seen a rise amidst the pandemic are-

Safety & Hygiene- This is the most important focus for any establishment currently both for delivery and backend operations at the kitchen.

DIY foods kits – These kits have become an interesting trend right now. It comes with an amalgamation of ingredients directly to the consumer to assemble & cook at home minimizing the risk of infection.

Also Read: Cook it Yourself: How DIY Kits are acting as a substitute for restaurants during lockdown

How the consumers' online order trends are evolving around during and after the lockdown was implemented?

At Cross Border Kitchens, here are some interesting observations from its brands Biryani Central, Bromomo, Chutney India, AIM Burger, Pind Patiala, Irfan Bhai &The Meal Bowl. A Cross Border Kitchens survey reveals how Delhi-NCR was eating during the lockdown. A survey we conducted showed that the cold beverage sale has declined tremendously during the phase of lockdown because medically it is advised to have warm beverages more as they are believed to be helping in building immunity. The era of eating together as a family is back because the survey showed how the sales of curries went up by 25%.

Who all are regular customers or age groups who are constantly placing online orders?

Anyone aged between 23-40 years is our regular customer.

What are the most preferred time and cuisine of the online order placed?

Dinner sees the maximum surge at around 7pm. Indian (curry-lead brands), Chinese and Burgers saw an uptake in the last 3.5 months.

Must Read: Chinese and Burgers saw an uptake in the last 3.5 months, report

What are you doing or how have you changed yourself to handle the rise in demand?

Our kitchens are typically geared to dish out thousands of orders a day. Therefore, managing any increase in demand is never a problem. However, the rise in CBK portfolio is not due to people staying in and ordering more. The F&B industry continues to face a demand failure. The rise in our overall revenue has come due to our continued investment in new brands and locations. Between March and June, we have launched multiple brands making many new locations live for CBK brands. During this time number of CBK’s brand points of sale increased by 156%, which is the primary reason for the growth in CBK revenue.

Why cloud-kitchen model is a success during this time?

A lot is being spoken about the cloud kitchen industry ever since the start of the lockdown. However, it is interesting to note that the food delivery business was poised at a much more aggressive growth in comparison to the dine-in industry even before the COVID-19 crisis struck. It’s safe to say that a sound business model was considered a safe bet prior to the pandemic but what has happened is that with most restaurants shut and delivery aggregators reporting up to a significant decline in order volume, a pivot to a cloud kitchen model has been championed by some as a panacea to the industry’s current woes. A few large hotel chains and some restaurant chains have also now started experimenting with this. Food delivery was deemed as an essential service by the government and hence food companies who could operate through the lockdown and gather consumer trust on their safety practices, like in the case of Cross Border Kitchens, continued to operate all through the previous few months. Stay at home became and to a large extent still is the norm – cloud kitchen brands fit perfectly well in this situation.