The bar at any restaurant is underrated and sometimes undersold, even. More often than not, it acts as a buffer for people to hang around as they wait for their table. It’s also where patrons sit for drinks when they are alone or with one other person. Many times they hang out at the bar … Continue reading 5 Easy …

Monsoon season can be tricky for restaurants. Like the rains, business can be unpredictable. You can’t stop the rains, but you can try a few things to sail through this monsoon.

The front of house staff is the first set of people your customers will see. They set the tone for the rest of the dining experience for many. This is one reason why you need to have the best in the industry.

Bad restaurant reviews can be hard to recover from. With a few tips you can provide great dining experiences to your customers consistently and in turn receive good reviews on every platform.

If you’re still trying to ace the social media game, don’t sweat it. You aren’t the only one. Every brand out there, restaurant or not, is trying to win over users online on a daily basis. There are a few things you can do, but there are also a few things shouldn’t.

Your restaurant’s target customer is important to set the overall vibe of your restaurant. You can then focus on giving your customer the best experience. Think about location, concept, price points, USP and more.

We engaged with Rahul Leekha for a freewheeling chat over about what makes Coffee by Di Bella the go-to coffee shop, their products, innovation and more… over a cup of coffee, of course!

Food trends don’t always begin at restaurants and reach people. More often than not, they are embraced by restaurants after seeing their popularity among food lovers. Either way, it’s a great way to stay relevant and keep up with your customers.

You want customers to order more and different dishes from your restaurant’s menu? Then give it a makeover without adding or removing dishes. Colours, fonts, placement of dishes and even the layout of your menu matters. Simple tricks can work wonders if you pay close attention.

Attracting more customers means not only learning new things and applying them in your daily operations, but also unlearning many ‘business tricks’ that may have worked decades ago. A few tweaks in your everyday work and you’re sure to see a change.

Kainaz Messman is the brain, sweat and passion behind Theobroma. From helping her mother out in her catering business when she was a little girl to building a patisserie empire of her own, Kainaz has come a long way as shares some of her experiences that made her strong entrepreneur today.

If you’ve wanted to expand your business and haven’t done it yet, this post is for you. The biggest roadblocks to opening more restaurants are funding and real estate. With Zomato Infrastructure Services, we’ll help you get there without the stress of planning and funding. Just walk in, get cooking and delivering!

Food trucks are everywhere today – outside colleges, offices, residential areas – and they’re going places (when they’re not parked). Some of them become instant hits with people and some don’t. Besides the convenience of relatively cheaper and easy food, food trucks have to be smart with their menus.

There are some operational expenses at a restaurant that you tend to overlook or think wouldn’t matter. Pay close attention and you’ll save big bucks. There are nooks and crannies in your daily operations that need for you to tighten. And then there factors you should consider that’d help you in the long run.

The selling point Ever go to a clothing store and have the salesperson try and sell you a shirt to go with your jeans or even a belt maybe? Notice how popular fast food chains ask if you want to add a drink and fries to make it a combo? That’s called cross-selling. How supermarkets … Continue reading Are You Upselling Dishes …

Restaurants are mushrooming everywhere, in every big city and even the tier two cities. Content on Zomato tells us that there were 13,645 active restaurants in 2015 in India and that number grew to 27,614 active ones in 2016. This looks great for the restaurant industry. With so many varied cuisines and kinds of restaurants, … Continue reading How …

Exactly one week to V-day, as Valentine’s Day is popularly known nowadays. Needless to mention, this is one big day for restaurants after Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Big as in, a packed house and massive hustle-bustle. Who wouldn’t want that? We have seen in the past how restaurants have done brilliantly well with their service … Continue reading …

Food critics all over the world have reviewed restaurants on the basis of food and service. The same has extended to user reviews on platforms like Zomato and Facebook. Good food must meet good service, else the dining experience is incomplete and unsatisfactory. Going by such reviews, it’s safe to say that diners would give … Continue reading 5 …

It wasn’t very long ago when we did a post on last year’s trends, and we are already in January 2017. Globally there were several trends that were hits and some misses, of course. Indian restaurants caught a couple of them like including organic food in their menu, going off the regular menu and celebrating seasonal … Continue reading What …

Without a team that has your back, you can’t have half a successful business. In the world of restaurants, you know you need a rock solid team. It’s easy (and lazy) to think that you can churn out people in and out of your restaurant like you do dishes. But you will soon see it … Continue reading Is Your Restaurant Staff Happy? …

The party is over but the ball hasn’t dropped. December saw a colourful and vibrant party season with Christmas and New Years’. There was great food everywhere and people couldn’t get enough of it. Restaurants were busier than ever. Tables full, bars full, food flying out of the kitchen – good times indeed. Now that … Continue reading Bouncing …

It’s the end of the year and business is looks good. People are walking into restaurants now more than they did last month or early this year. Everyone’s in a good mood. They want to spend some good time with their family and friends in their favourite restaurants in town. As a restaurateur, you are … Continue reading 3 …

Winter has arrived in the country. Alright, not the whole country but you get the idea. Temperatures are dropping and the consumption of whiskey, soup and chai has gone up. Or at least, that’s what we believe. This is the time when dishes like soups and grills are ordered the most. Any feel good comfort … Continue reading Winter’s …

If you are relatively new in the business and aren’t entirely sure about most aspects of setting up a restaurant or a cafe, start small with a small budget. Let’s now assume yours is a cafe style establishment. If you have a certain cuisine in mind, go with it. If you aren’t quite sure about … Continue reading Do You Have These Dishes …

Unless you are Brahmin’s Coffee Bar in Bangalore or Al Ustad in Dubai, or any other legendary restaurant that has been around for several decades, you need to update your restaurant’s menu every couple of years. When do you do it? How do you go about it? So many more questions you need to ask yourself. … Continue reading When …

The Indian restaurant scene has evolved a lot over the past few years. Also, restaurant-goers have increased and so have the number of restaurants. It’s a chicken eat chicken world out there (you get the idea). Like any other industry and business, the restaurant kind is competitive. Fiercely, if I may add. Restaurants are doing anything and … Continue reading …

Any new restaurateur will tell you how exciting the process of opening a restaurant. And it indeed is. The ideation phase is probably the best bit. Zeroing on the menu, ambiance and the general concept sure must be a thrill. Although, in haste many restaurant jump the gun and wind up with a concept, menu … Continue reading Did …

Buffets have gained incredible popularity in India over the past few years. After the corporate boom in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi NCR, restaurants cashed in on the buffet style of meal by offering corporate discounts. Next thing you know, the frequency of families dining out shot up and buffets seem to be the popular … Continue reading

Let’s face it. When it comes to visual treats, Instagram and Zomato have grown to become one of the most effective marketing tools for almost every product there is. But food takes the cake (pun intended, of course). From ice cream cones to the humble dosa, every dish is up there on Zomato and Instagram. … Continue reading How …

This time of the year is the busiest for everyone. People are busy making sweets, shopping and celebrating. Restaurants are packed with customers in celebratory mood. Service is in full swing and this is when you need to don the role of captain of the ship. The busiest season also means room for errors. Without … Continue reading How …

Let’s face it, you can’t make everyone happy all the time. Particularly when you are in the business of food. As a restaurateur you should know this by now. Before the internet age, customers rarely complained. Or at least it seemed like that. If they weren’t happy about a dish or service at a restaurant, … Continue reading How …

Nobody starts a business thinking about failure. Everyone wants to flourish and grow. More so for someone who has opened a restaurant. We all know how much money it takes get a restaurant up and running and it doesn’t stop with just opening the restaurant.

Any retail outlet has a black hole that sucks up money like nothing else. A restaurant is no different. Most owners easily get carried away and spend large amounts of money on decor and equipment that they can easily do without. We spoke about this in one of our previous posts about the things new … Continue reading 3 Inexpensive …

Owning a restaurant sure is a matter of pride. It’s unlike any other business. Most food lovers worth their salt (and spice), at some point, have dreamed of having their own place. It stems out of the sheer love of food and the idea of turning that love into something that would make you gratification and … Continue reading 3 …

If it improves business, then any small change or addition is valid. Be it in the restaurant industry or otherwise. Promotions make for a great way to bring back old customers and create a new pool of new ones. Everyone needs a hook to come into your restaurant. With fairly good food served in many … Continue reading 5 Best Ways …

MasterChef needs no introduction. We know how the original’s (British) spin off show in Australia took television by storm in 2009 and spread across the world like fire. One of MasterChef Australia’s largest viewership comes from India and the judges too have acknowledged it during their Indian trips. It was only natural for MasterChef India to take … Continue …

Food trucks have been on the rise in all major cities of the country. Simple and delicious food is their mantra. Owning a food truck isn’t as difficult as it sounds. A few permits, a truck and a passion for food is what it takes. Many renowned food trucks today are growing their business and expanding across cities with multiple trucks.

A restaurant is expected to be spotless and hygienic. The kitchen in particular, has to meet high standards of cleanliness. After all, food comes from there and diners pay for it. Cleanliness is a part of service and every diner deserves food from a clean kitchen. Let’s take a closer look on how you can maintain these high standards with a few key pointers.

You have the funds and everything else you need to open your restaurant. Or maybe you already have. Either way, have you asked yourself what next? How involved would you want to be in the operations? Do you want to give the reigns to the manager? There are different kinds of restaurant owners. From chef-turned-owners … Continue reading 3 …

If you’re going to start your own business, you need a business plan. More so if it is a restaurant. Understandably one of the most unorganized industries there is out there, even a restaurant needs a blueprint before opening its doors. What does a business plan do for you? Let’s find out.

Is breakfast on your mind? Open your restaurant up for breakfast service, or even better, start a breakfast delivery service. Given the popularity of traditional and quirky breakfasts these days, it’s never late to be a part of the party. Today’s busy professionals have no time to stop. Not for breakfast. Not when you have the option to serve them the best you have to offer.

As the festive season kicks off diners are looking forward to special food events at restaurants. To be able to execute such events, there are a few things restaurateurs need to keep in mind. Menu, duration of the promotion, entertainment element, marketing, budgets, and the likes.

A restaurant menu has to be clutter free, easy on the eye and profitable for you as a restaurant owner. Rule of thumb has been to triple the cost to make the dish which will cover your overheads. However, there are a few things you should bear in mind if you want to have an effective menu.

Buying a franchise is very appealing to many people who want to get into the restaurant industry. It sure is a way to know your way around the business. Restaurateurs believe it is a good way to understand how a restaurant outlet is run and it can be of considerable help when one goes on to run their own establishment independently.

It’s easy to get carried away during purchasing while setting up your restaurant. From decor to equipment, you can easily overspend and see how these purchases eat into your capital which could be used more effectively. Pulling your purse strings right at the beginning will help you cut the frills and save on a lot of money.

Competing with chain restaurants is probably one of the biggest concerns of stand alone restaurants. Price points, service, offers are few of the aspects to factor in. However, it isn’t impossible for an independent restaurant to stand strong amidst the giant chain restaurants.

It’s a given that there are several factors that lead to opening a restaurant. Should you open one where there are already a variety of restaurants open and running, or should you open one where there’s no sign of competition? There are a few more questions you should ask yourself before jumping the gun and opening shop at a location that you can afford.

Previous generations were insecure about their jobs only because they feared being fired. It isn’t the case today–not in the restaurant industry, at least. People quit their job and jump to another one in a heartbeat if it offers them a higher pay, better benefits, so on. When there’s so much instability in staff hiring and retention, it is tiresome and almost impossible to focus on growing the restaurant.

Don’t let your small budget come in the way of your big dreams. With a thorough business plan and removing unnecessary frills, you have great potential to kick start your restaurant dream. We spoke with Parry from Charcoal, Hyderabad for his insights and advice on opening small budget restaurants—his and partners’ experiences and mistakes that made them better restaurateurs.

Every restaurant wants to break even and be profitable in a couple of years. What determines this is the menu – what you serve and what you charge for it. There’s no one way to go about menu pricing and to ensure it helps increase profit margins a great deal. Many restaurants roughly calculate actual costs and triple it to play it safe, while a others hike prices every few months to break even early.

Fancy decor, that expensive centerpiece, shiny cutlery – all reflect how much money that has gone into the making of a restaurant. What we don’t see is the recurring cost that goes into the making of the dish. A peek into the kitchen will tell you everything. As a restaurateur, are you certain your food costs aren’t drowning you? Are vendors overcharging you?

The restaurant industry still remains an unorganized one. To mention the obvious, it is also an unpredictable one. From big global brands from across the world wilting in the Indian market, to home grown local ones facing the heat and turning their stoves off with their dreams of expansion—the restaurant business hasn’t been kind.

Pokémon Go is the latest trend that the world has been hooked to. Pokéstops are everywhere, even in restaurants. People have been found wandering the streets and other public places with their heads buried in their phones, catching Pokémons. Looking at how this has caught on, restaurateurs have found a way or two to get a slice of the fun themselves.

The restaurant industry has seen various predicted trends in the past come to life and either stick around for a while or die a slow and painful death. In 2013 and 2014 we saw swanky international and michelin star restaurants like Akira Back and Yautcha opening their doors in Indian metros, quirky bars and molecular gastronomy continuing to thrive.

Women in our lives have played a big role in the way we look at food today. Be it mothers, grandmothers, aunts, neighbourhood aunts, you get the drift. Most of them have spent years in the kitchen crafting every single meal for us. On the other hand, professional kitchens have been mostly run by male chefs since we can remember. There weren’t many female restaurateurs calling the shots either.

A customer, regardless of whether they’re right or wrong, wants to be heard and wants to be acknowledged. As a business, when you are prompt with your responses, you are invariably showing them that you care. And caring about customers’ experiences is a key aspect of hospitality. A positive review or not, by responding to … Continue …

You know how your restaurant is doing when there’s a consistent pattern of reviews implying the quality has ‘gone down’. That, and stagnating (or decreasing) revenues, should set the alarm off for you to up your game. We spoke with a few restaurateurs from across the country to give us a few insights that would help us understand how restaurants can stay relevant.

“If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it’s the restaurant business.” – Anthony Bourdain There are many variables that factor in whether a restaurant is ‘current’ or not. In the same breath, we can also consider restaurants that aren’t influenced with time. There are exceptions. For instance, MTR in Bangalore and Moti …

Chef Pradip Rozario, who is claimed to have introduced fusion cooking to India, began his culinary journey to fulfill his brother’s dream of becoming a chef. Cooking soon turned into his passion and making people happy through his food is something he looks forward to doing every single day.

Chef David Tozer of Nicli Antica Pizzeria, in Gastown, Vancouver, creates the perfect mix of traditional Italian fare, and local fresh ingredients. Serving Italian comfort favorites straight out of your Nonna’s kitchen, to more modern twists on the classic pies, made fresh to order.

Have you ever wondered what chefs snack on in the middle of the night, or which ingredient intimidates them in the kitchen? We got to the bottom of these two questions and more in a rapid-fire Q&A with Chef Matt Basile – the creative man behind Toronto based, street food brand Fidel Gastro’s!

Taking on the classic Italian cuisine in the chic and modern scene of Abu Dhabi, chef Giorgio is becoming a household name among the city’s foodies. This young chef calls the shots behind the scenes of the First Clique Restaurant & Café kitchens – in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In 2013, Chef Matt Dean Pettit, owner and head chef at Rock Lobster in Toronto, took a leap into the retail world and introduced Matty’s Seafood Brand for Sobeys. Over a year later, Chef Matt paid a visit to five of Canada’s most influential entrepreneurs to present his seafood line, in hopes of striking a deal.

Vancouver based chef, Trevor Bird, and his cozy Kitsilano eatery, is definitely well known amongst the Vancouver foodie community. With access to local and fresh seafood, meat, and produce, Bird brings a new, and delicious take on farm-to-table style cuisine.

One of Vancouver’s most celebrated chefs, Chef Hidekazu Tojo is known for his innovative and avant-garde take on traditional Japanese cuisine. Credited as the inventor of the California Roll, Chef Tojo takes the art of Japanese cuisine to a new level by incorporating local and seasonal ingredients into his dishes.

Touted as one of the best chefs in the world, Manish Mehrotra has played a pivotal role in giving Modern Indian cuisine the platform that it always deserved. Restoring its well deserved spot on the culinary map, he has created delicacies at the Indian Accent restaurant in New Delhi, that has left many master chefs from around the world mesmerized. He talks about the reasons behind the popularity of Modern Indian cuisine and going back to simple recipes.

Reality TV shows about cooking have now taken the prime-time slots. While many contestants (home-cooks turned chefs) have continued to live their dream of becoming pioneers in the culinary world, some of them have stuck to their original jobs while continuing to pursue their passion on the side.

Pastry Chef at Marque (Surry Hills, NSW, Australia) by Mark Best, Lauren Eldridge won the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year for 2015. Achieving so much at 25, we spoke to her about being a lady chef in a male-dominated kitchen and the divide between the pastry and the savoury.

A number of food trucks can now be seen parked on Dubai streets. Not only to meet the growing appetite quite fashionably but also to deal with the city’s growing demand to eat out. While it might seem like an easy drive-by, it requires a meticulous plan given factors like the mobile kitchen, unpredictable footfall and keeping up with quick service.

Many young people have moved on from their traditional jobs and have opened restaurants further adding to the concept of ‘for the people, by the people’. Driven by their own demand for a specific food, these second-career restaurateurs are not only successful but also have found a way to hit the right spot to lure in a good footfall.

Vue de Monde is considered to be an Australian crown jewel where Shannon Bennett has been joined by a world class team. He chatted with Zomato about what the restaurant means to him, how his team deals with the ups and downs of widespread success, and his philosophy on chasing awards.

Chef Tom Lawson is the co-owner and the Head Chef at Rafters in Sheffield, England. There is a lot on his plate as he dons the chef’s hat and also looks at the operational side. To get an overall understanding of all the nuances, right from cost to menu design and demand and supply dynamics.

Many chefs now flaunt their skills and upload pictures of beautifully plated dishes, travel tales and sources of inspiration. Given the constant attention, we try to find out if the social media attention has brought a change in the concept of plating up food, does it act as an effective marketing tool and has it bridged the gap between the chef and the consumer.

Many restaurants have become a platform for young chefs to not only showcase their talent but also turn their passion into a rewarding profession. There has been a surge in the number of young chefs who have been given responsibilities of heading kitchens, creating differentiated menus and delivering stand-out service.

Paul Cunningham has been the head chef at Henne Kirkeby Kro, Denmark since 2012. In a tete-a-tete with Zomato, the celebrated author of 7 books talks to us about a variety of subjects ranging from simplicity of recipes and their presentation techniques, to the benefits of leveraging social media.

Chef Cyrus Todiwala, who has been credited with the distinction of cooking for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, believes that his restaurant is a breeding ground for fresh ideas and a sacred place where the chefs are “allowed to do their jobs”.

Creating a successful franchise is a complex and tricky process and a lot of people don’t get it right. We went exploring and got in touch with a few businesses, that have intentionally dodged the lure of expanding their businesses beyond their home cities, even though their fan-base transcends boundaries.

Chef Bakshish Dean who is the Executive Director at Prime Gourmet Pvt Ltd. talks about the challenges faced and the meticulous planning that went into getting the famous American burger food chain Johnny Rockets to Indian foodies.

We sat down with food critic Marryam Reshii to identify the changes in dining trends, the role of reviews, lifestyle and many other things affecting the food culture. You might also find hints of what Marryam looks at when she reviews a restaurant.

While on one hand it is important to cook keeping in mind the ever-changing dining trends, one also has to find ways and means to stay true to the passion that got them into the business to begin with. Chef Manu Chandra feels just that.

Trotting around the globe, Chef Ritu Dalmia labels her travels as an inspiration for her culinary journey. Known as the ‘Queen of Italian food’, she currently has six restaurants in Delhi under the Diva banner. Digging deep into the Indian love for Italian food, we sat down with Chef Dalmia to understand its authenticity and the secret behind good Italian food.

While commercial beers are pasteurized and filtered and contain added preservatives, craft beers are fresh, flavorful and straight from the tap. Despite being far removed from the world of “hard spirits” of scotch, vodka and gin, craft beer has nimbly made its way to India’s hearts, and people have learnt to enjoy a fresh brew.