How Indian Restaurants are Putting New food Curations for T20

In a strategic yet bold move, Aspect Hospitality unveils 25 new outlets of its Pan-Asian QSR brand, Nom Nom Express across Mumbai and Pune. 

Aksha Kamboj, Executive Chairperson of Aspect Global Ventures, Hitesh Keswani, Managing Director of Aspect Hospitality, Sandeep Singh, CEO of Aspect Hospitality and Executive Corporate Chef Rahul were present marking this innovative and high-impact milestone. During the launch, guests could scan an Augmented Reality (AR) booth to reveal a virtual city with pop-up Nom Nom stores. 

With 25 QSR kitchens, Nom Nom Express is prepared to surprise a new generation of foodies—one bite at a time—by delivering vibrant, flavorful Pan-Asian dishes throughout the cityscape. The Nom Nom Central Kitchen, which powers consistent and seamless supply across all sites, is the foundation of it all.

Commenting on the launch, Aksha Kamboj, Executive Chairperson, Aspect Global Ventures said, “We have always believed that great food brings people together, and we stand firm on this. Nom Nom Express isn’t just expanding; it’s becoming part of the everyday lives of people across Mumbai and Pune. Watching the brand grow from an idea to 25 outlets has been incredible, but the real excitement lies in how many more homes we’ll be reaching next.”

 “Nom Nom Express was founded with a clear vision: to offer bold, authentic Asian flavours delivered quickly, fresh, and at highly affordable prices. With our first 25 outlets, we are only just beginning. Our goal is to expand nationwide, ensuring that every person across the country can experience the high-quality taste of Asian cuisine at pocket-friendly prices. Whether in the comfort of their home or at one of our convenient takeaway locations, our customers can enjoy a delicious, fast meal in minutes. The overwhelming energy and support from our community have been truly inspiring, and this launch marks a significant milestone in our journey. But make no mistake—we are just getting started, and the best is yet to come,” said Hitesh Keswani, Managing Director, Aspect Hospitality.
 

The Delhi High Court has not yet rendered a decision in the cases filed by restaurant associations contesting the rules that forbid lodging and dining establishments from automatically adding a service charge to food bills.

"Arguments heard. Judgement reserved," said Justice Prathiba M Singh.

In 2022, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and the Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) filed two distinct applications with the court.

The high court delayed the recommendations, which was released by the Central Consumer Protection Authority on July 4, 2022. The FHRAI lawyer argued that the CCPA lacked the authority and jurisdiction to enforce such a restriction without adhering to natural justice standards.

"Merely holding a meeting with the industry body is not in compliance of natural justice. The guideline could only be advisory in nature," he said. He claimed that in accordance with the owners' basic right to engage in any profession, trade, or business, the service charge was imposed on patrons for the benefit of the restaurant employees.

According to the Center's standing counsel, there was no documentation demonstrating the benefits of service charges for the employees. The petitioners contend that the service charge, which has been in effect for a number of years, was a "traditional charge" that restaurant requested following a proper notice on menu cards and the establishment's property.

In its counter-affidavit, the CCPA requested that the petitions be dismissed, claiming that the petitioners had "totally failed" to recognize the rights of the customers whose hard-earned money had been wrongfully taken automatically or by default under the guise of a service charge.

On July 20, 2022, the high court suspended the CCPA guideline, stating that the stay would only be granted if the petitioners made sure that the service charge was charged in addition to the price and taxes and that the customer's need to pay it was clearly and conspicuously indicated on the menu or in other locations.

While the colour black is a fashion staple, it is now making its way into the Indian food industry. The colour Black is gaining popularity as people want to have their plates with something dark or the other, be it from charcoal, ash or squid ink.

And with this rising demand from customers, many fine-dining restaurants in India have started serving them with gourmet preparations made from black pasta, black rice, black quinoa, etc. The charcoal-infused goth ice-cream, pastas, burgers, health drinks and even our very own desi murg malai tikka are now available in the black color.

Recently, one of India’s leading pizza chains, Pizza Hut has launched the country’s first ever Black pan pizza at its Gurgaon restaurants.

These Black pan pizzas are visually stunning and incredibly tasty, offered at a price of Rs 99 each for a pair of personal pan pizzas, across dine-in, takeaway and delivery. They have a bold black coloured pan pizza base and will be topped with a flavourful spicy chipotle drizzling sauce.

The current Pizza Hut menu will contain a black crust option for all pan pizza variants, at no extra cost. The brand is planning to launch Black pan pizzas across several other major markets later in the year.

Prashant Gaur, Chief Brand and Customer Officer, Pizza Hut India Subcontinent, said, “We stand for the love of pizzas, and when it comes to innovation, we have been the pioneers. Black pan pizza is our latest product innovation and we are quite excited about the launch.”

“Millennials form a majority of our customer base, and they love to experiment with food that not just satisfies their palate, but also caters to their visual and creative senses. This is why we see fast-emerging trends such as rainbow lattes, colourful burgers and what not. Pizza Hut has always taken pride in serving the best, the freshest and the tastiest pizzas to all pizza lovers in the country. And with the Black pan pizza, we present to our customers a new frontier in pizza innovation,” he added.

Barbeque Nation, India's leading casual dining restaurant chain, invites foodies to indulge in Daawat-e-Ramadan offering the finest Iftar, through an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Visit any of Barbeque Nation's outlets in Bengaluru between May 5th and June 5th to savour the flavours of Ramadan food, as the restaurant re-creates this experience, through a Ramadan special food menu.

Barbeque Nation is present in more than 126 outlets across India, four in UAE and one in Malaysia.

Patrons are greeted with a Roohafzha and Laban. Special dishes include classics such as Premium Dates, Fresh fruit platter, Haji Ali Chicken Tikka, Anarkali Tangadi and Reshma Chicken Wings.

Apart from the lavish spread of starters, the restaurants will also have Live Counters, where patrons can pamper their taste buds with Ramadan special Chicken and Vegetable pakoda, Soy Keema Pav / Bhaji, Paneer Parantha, Raan Mussalam, Gosht Shammi Kabab, Haleem and Roomali Roti.

The main course counter consists of non-vegetarian dishes like Badami Gosht, Murgh Mussalam, Mughali Fish Curry, Zam Zam Pilaf and Lucknowi Biryani. While the vegetarian main course menu consists of dishes like Paneer KhauGali, Chowagara, Gobi Mussalam, Methi Palak Papad Ki Subji, Wajid Ali Shah Aloo, Lehsooni Dal, Broccoli Makhana Pulao, Ghee Chawal, Mushroom Baby Corn Chilli Sauce, Triple Sechuan Fried Rice and much more.

The dessert section is packed with a beautiful array of treats, such as Sheer Khorma, Chanari Halwa, Phenni Kheer, Basbossa, Sabja Falooda, Mawa Samosa, Gulab Jamun, Shahi Tudka, Date Pastry, Salted caramel pastry, Brownie and Mango Shrikhand, that are sure to satisfy even the most discerning foodies.

It is not just about sumptuous food, the ambience of the outlets have a strong role to play. Patrons can thus indulge their senses in the décor, fragrance, sights and delicacies of Mohammed Ali Road. 

United Spirits' crorepati club has shrunk nearly 10% in a year in which the country's largest spirits maker saw overall market fall 3% due to regulatory changes.

A total of 51 executives at United Spirits (USL) took home more than Rs 1 crore in salary in the year ended March 2018 — against 56 in the previous year — according to the firm’s annual report. The average increase in remuneration for all employees also fell to 5.3% during FY17-18 compared to 6.3% a year ago. Since 2014 when British liquor giant Diageo took full control of USL, the maker of Mcdowell's and Antiquity whiskey has been seeing consistent employee exits every year. Permanent employee base has fallen to 4427 during FY17-18, shrinking by more than a third compared to 6797 people, according to the latest financial report.

Experts see this as a positive sign as the company consolidated manufacturing and distribution over the past few years to cut costs.

"The exits must be a healthy mix of voluntary and involuntary separations which is expected and essential when Diageo is trying to bring in changes in the way USL has been working in the past," said A Ramachandran, senior partner, EMA Partners India. "Despite market fall, the EBIDTA margins have expanded which shows the organisation’s focus on a strong bottomline-led growth."

Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker Scotch and Smirnoff vodka, bought a controlling stake in USL from Mallya in July 2013 and later raised its holding to 55%. The company has been changing its business from having a largely mass market portfolio earlier to premium ones that earn higher margins. For instance, just years ago, the contribution of its 'prestige and above' business were 50% of the net sales which has risen to nearly 63% until March.

"In a year of extraordinary changes – the highway ban, alcohol exclusion in GST and its fallout and the uncertainty caused by expected route to market changes in many states – we have delivered strong financial performance," Anand Kripalu, MD at USL said in the report.

With USL's efforts on reducing interest costs and monetising non-core assets, the company posted a 23% increase in profit after tax even despite a 13% drop in sales volume. Over the past three years, the company's manufacturing footprint has come down to 58 from 88 earlier. "The management indicated that there is not a lot of scope for margin expansion remaining. We believe this guidance could potentially disappoint investors," said a recent Goldman Sachs report.

Eating out in air condition comfort could get cheaper if a proposal to fix the GST at 12% on all restaurants is adopted by GST council. Air conditioned restaurant currently charging 18% GST and Non air conditioned charging 12%.

A government official said “It has been felt that the restaurants have not passed on the benefit of input tax credit to consumers. The lower rate of 12 per cent may be extended to cover the entire sector. The GST Council had set up a panel to look into the matter. Representations were made to the panel about restaurants not passing on the benefit of input tax credit while levying 18 per cent GST. After the imposition of GST on July 1, taxes on such services rose to 18 per cent from 15 per cent but the rationale was that input tax credit would neutralise the increase. Following lobbying by the industry, the GST Council set up a panel under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the composition scheme more attractive and revisit GST rates on restaurants. The panel, which had been asked to give its report in two weeks, has finalised its recommendations.”

The industry lobbied for a 12 percent rate for all restaurants but with the benefit of input tax credit kept intact.

Mumbai’s wait to enjoy the crisp winter while dining at a rooftop restaurant just got longer, much, much longer. The local municipality’s (BMC) roof-top restaurant policy has become the latest casualty in the tussle between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. With the BJP taking on the Sena over the de-silting scam and the Sena hitting back by opposing the meat ban, the latter has decided to defer the policy for now, reported DNA.

The rooftop policy backed by Aaditya Thackeray, grandson of the party’s founder & son of its current president, was to come up for approval before the civic general body this month.

“We are not tabling the policy right now. It has been put on hold indefinitely. We will table it when the time is right,” said Shiv Sena leader Trushna Vishwasrao.

Already, the BMC’s parking, open spaces and illegal banner policies are pending clearance from BMC corporators for over a year. The BJP has opposed the roof-top restaurants policy and it has been rejected twice over the last two months. With both the ruling parties battling each other, the BMC is seeing a policy paralysis of sorts. As the Sena-BJP oppose new policies, opposition parties disrupting debates and creating a ruckus even during crucial meetings, development work has come to a standstill.

Similarly, while the Sena hit out at the BJP over installation of white LED lights at Marine Drive, the BJP has ensured that Thackeray’s plan to revive the city’s nightlife never takes off.

Civic officials said that they are skeptical about proposing anything new. “All policies are being stalled. Even small ward-level proposals are mired in controversy. We have stopped getting innovative ideas. The atmosphere is such that everything will be opposed by at least one party, so we are just focusing on routine matters,” said a senior civic official.