Indian Restaurant Congress sprinkles new flavours this season

In the two days Restaurant congress organised by Franchise India, some of the key topics which was discussed by the industry people and the speakers were Open spaces restaurants, Food Trucks, Tourist Hubs.

According to Riyaaz Amlani, President NRAI and MD and CEO, Impresario Entertainment, “Delhi needs to have places with open spaces restaurants, more Food Trucks on the roads and tourist hubs which should attract tourists along with food and entertainment.”

Not only this, an NRAI delegation led by President Riyaaz Amlani met senior Delhi officials the same day, i.e 26th August to discuss a range of ‘practical’ issues which is actually blocking the industry’s growth.

Citing restaurant industry 25 percent bigger than the Bollywood and Telecom industry, Amlani also pointed Government polices as the big gorilla in the room.

“It was a very fruitful meeting. The government is committed to getting things done for Delhi’s benefit,” said Amlani.

According to the release by NRAI, the AAP government may approach Delhi’s civic bodies, including NDMC, asking them to allow restaurants to serve food in open spaces. Tourism minister Kapil Mishra has requested deputy CM Manish Sisodia to take up matter with municipal corporations.

Mishra met with the NRAI earlier in August to discuss initiatives like new tourism hubs. He was also receptive to NRAI’s proposal for guidelines on the use of open spaces in the light of the ongoing sealing of terraces & open spaces attached to Delhi restaurants.

“We met the minister to request him to resolve this issue. All across the world where there are tourist hubs, open air restaurants and terrace seating is extremely popular. Delhi needs to have a policy to allow this here as well,” added Amlani.

Last month, NDMC had banned serving of food at rooftops and terraces of restaurants in Connaught Place. Sources said the action was taken because there was no policy to guide usage of open spaces. NDMC had disallowed the practice for various reasons, including encroachment, illegal construction and improper fire safety practices. The council has, however, also said it will be willing to consider cases where fire and excise departments have given permissions.

In his letter to Sisodia, Mishra said restaurant owners were being given permission from excise and fire departments to serve in open spaces but the corporations and NDMC were not allowing them to do so. “There is a need to review licence conditions and permit food service in such areas. These areas should include open spaces, terraces and gardens available to restaurants. It is pertinent to mention that the organized industry, which is compliant with hygiene and safety requirements, is being denied this permission,” he said.

Mishra said that by not allowing food service in open areas, not only were the restaurant owners facing losses, but also the government was losing out on VAT and excise revenue. “Internationally, open-air cafes add considerably to the charm of the cities. There is no reason why Delhi should not enjoy such a privilege,” stated Mishra in his letter.

Restaurant industry in growth mode

Today restaurant industry is growing at a very fast pace with 77 per cent industry constituting of QSR and casual dining segment.

Not only this, the investment scenario in the sector has changed; today food-tech and healthy start-ups are the new game-changers with unique and scalable concepts getting a total of approximately $150 investments till July 2015.

And hence, Indian Restaurant Congress with a huge participation from restaurant professionals, chefs, suppliers, technology providers and investors, is one of the Biggest show in the industry with over 500+ restaurant professionals, 300+restaurant brands and 1000+awards nominations.

Better networking and Knowledge sharing

Any business is build around relationships and education and likewise restaurant and food business is today one of the most talked about business in the country.

Growing at a CAGR of 17 per cent, the food business has scaled a significant growth of Rs 2.04 lakh crore in 2015 and has long-term target to reach 3.8 lakh crore by 2017.

And platforms like Restaurant can create ample opportunity to share and communicate ideas from the experts in the industry.

The congress that was . . .

The congress, which is one of the largest platforms to discuss the business of food in India, has got an overwhelming response in the last few years. Niren Chaudhary, who chaired the conference in 2012, believed "We have collectively seen what we can do to manage the infrastructural challenges. Hence, the Indian Restaurant Congress."

Meanwhile Anjan Chatterjee who chaired the congress in 2013 shared, “I believe that the greatest reward for passion is work itself. But once in a while, others in the trade or industry recognise the passion and drive in the form of awards and accolades and those become my milestones in personal and professional journey. Sharing the same view in 2014, Amit Burman of Lite Bite Foods opines, “The new trend in the industry is sustainability, investments and brands as no goal is unachievable if you have the right approach.”

At the same time, the congress witnessed participation from Ajay Kaul of Domino’s, Chetan Arora from Subway, Sagar Ratna and celebrity chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor, Hemant Oberoi, Surjan Singh Jolly and the legendary chefs like Imtiyaz Qureshi of ITC adorning the attendee list, the congress has garnered opportunities and discussions over the growth and development in food business in the country.

The upcoming congress!

Disruption is the current wave that is blowing the industry’s growth in 2015. With food players entering the Unicorn club, The 5th Indian Restaurant Congress, themed ‘Disruption’ will discuss all the related topics when it comes to the biggest talk on food. Chaired by Sunil Kapur, Chairman, K Group, the congress will deliver the best practices when it comes to delivering the best in the industry. It will focus around the four biggest talk points:-  Bizruption, with industry targeting a growth of CAGR 17 per cent annually; Foodruption, with concepts like Fast Casuals and Kiosk replacing the QSR business; Youngruption, where 50 per cent of the people eat outside at least eight times a month and the Techruption, as  Digital disruption is peeping hot! With food-tech players getting thumps up!

Commenting on the talk points that the Indian Restaurant Congress 2015 have on its agenda, Sunil Kapur, Chairman, K Hospitality Corp shared, “I am honoured to be the Chair for 2015 Indian Restaurant Congress, and I am looking forward to exchanging ideas on how we can continue to grow and evolve the Indian restaurant industry.”

Kapur also pointed that platforms like the ‘Indian Restaurant Congress’ are a must attend for new as well as seasoned restaurateurs, to meet and share ideas to help take the industry ahead. Scheduled for August 25-26 2015 at Hotel JW Marriott, Aerocity Delhi, the congress has experts like Sanjeev Kapur,

Riyaaz Amlani, Vicky Ratnani and Mohit Khattar to name a few already on the panel. 

For more info on the congress: login to www.restaurantindia.in/congress