Yearender 2021: What did Mumbai’s brave new restaurants learn in their first tough year in business?

Hospitality businesses worldwide - from travel to gastronomy - were hit the hardest by the pandemic. Even though the lockdown saw deliveries sky-rocketing as restaurants paused in-person dining, the industry continued to suffer huge losses owing to drops in revenue and profitability, leading many to close down operations permanently. In what can be termed as the most volatile times, several entrepreneurs kept the faith alive and opened up new ventures. To better understand the challenges and strategy behind running a hospitality business in the pandemic, Mid-Day.com spoke to four entrepreneurs from Mumbai who set up distinct types of eateries this year.

Rahul Bajaj, Founder of Anglo Indian

Rahul moved to Lonavala during the pandemic to establish Anglo-Indian. Pic/Rahul Bajaj

The pandemic led many Mumbaikars to spend more time in nearby towns of Lonavala, Panchgani, and Mahableshwar owing to them being free of crowds and close to nature. Rahul Bajaj, founder of Anglo Indian and Out of the Blue also moved base and set out on a new journey. "When the pandemic hit, a lot of Mumbaikars were moving to Lonavala, including my family because we have a house there. We had to shut Out of The Blue as things were getting really bad. The workaholic in me didn't let me rest and we expedited the process on the Lonavala project." Outlining his strategy behind Anglo Indian, he shares, "We wanted to offer the people of Lonavala a taste of Mumbai food as it is a fruitful market and it worked out in our favour."

Executing the project became a mammoth task with the complications that came during the lockdown. "We started Anglo Indian project after we got the notice for shutting down the place in Mumbai and I left for Lonavala. But as the situation began to get worse, our workers started leaving for their hometown which led to delays in the project. So, instead of opening in 2020, we launched in 2021. We opened during the rainy season and two days before the main launch there was a landslide, heavy rain and storm in Lonavala, the entire place had to shut for two days for clearance."

Logistics have been a major issue for restaurants acquiring high quality specific ingredients. "Getting supplies to Lonavala has been a challenge and still continues to be as some of the vegetables, for example broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes are not easily available. Since a lot of raw materials were not easily available, we couldn't launch the actual Anglo Indian menu on time. Out of The Blue was known for its fondue and sizzlers but we could not launch it. We had to rework the menu as per what was easily available and that led to some negative feedback." The lack of delivery partners also impacted business, "Zomato riders were not available in our area. Considering we only opened for takeaway and delivery in the initial stage, delivery via Zomato was not possible so we had to bring in our own delivery people. There have been times we had no orders for three days and times when we got a bulk order for soups. And everyone started walking in after we got a little traction going and we started our dine-in with a limited menu."

Once the issues were ironed out and Anglo Indian was up and running, customers came. "We got a lot of positive responses from people around that they finally had a good place to rely on for ordering in from their homes and of course dining-in once we opened."

Freny Fernandes, Founder and Chef Moner Bistro and Dessert Bar

Moner is a desert-focussed restaurant which serves a vast range of tempting desserts. Pic/Freny Fernandes

Chef Freny Fernandes wanted to open Moner when she returned from her stint at Noma in Copenhagen three years back. "After having eaten around the world I realised that when it comes to desserts, the industry in India still has a long way to go. Dessert was still looked upon as the last course or like an optional course. I wanted to change that, I wanted desserts to be the centre of attention and create a space where people could experience desserts like never before."

Due to delays, Moner's launch was pushed back by a year. "I had set out to open Moner before the pandemic but unfortunately just during our interior work, we got hit by the pandemic in March 2020. It felt as if we faced a million complications and delays. Finally, we opened Moner in December 2020 and after that it's been all about adaptation." From strawberry and cream tarts to chocolate chip cookies, from almond milk coffee to dalgona, the quaint bistro serves a varied menu that caters to those with a sweet tooth. Their savoury offerings include the Moner club chicken burger, pan seared Norwegian salmon, and Fettuccini with Corn Veloute.

Talking about the challenges she faced, Fernandes adds, "As if opening a restaurant, let alone a dessert-specific restaurant, in Mumbai wasn't hard enough, I had to open and run one in the middle of a pandemic. Everyday we'd be faced with some new complication or some new guideline. From being focused on plated desserts we then went on to also increase our offering in terms of savoury foods and petit gateaux i.e. food that was delivery- and takeaway-friendly. Because we realised that although our concept was great, we came in at the wrong time. And the only thing we could do to survive was adapt. There was also a time when the government regulations and timings were constantly changing and we constantly had to tweak our menu to match the timings. Like when we could be open only until 4 p.m., we began opening early in the morning and started a special breakfast menu that featured our crepe bar."

Stressing the importance of adaptation and innovation for a hospitality business, she concludes, "Originally our concept was that we'd be a bistro throughout the day and post 7 p.m. turn into a dessert bar serving exclusive plated desserts but after the time restrictions, we had to change that to serve plated desserts all day. I also realised that for a brand like Moner it makes more sense to be in a place with high footfall like on a busy street or a mall. And so we're expanding to a pop-up kiosk at the new Jio mall where we'd be serving Moner's exclusive desserts that could be enjoyed on the go."

Tanima Dey, Owner, United Nations of Asia (UNA) cafe

Serving pan-Asian cuisine, UNA (United Nations of Asia) cafe opened in October 2021. Owner Tanima Dey shares, "The pandemic was one of the key reasons and driving factors for the opening of the restaurant, as many people were willing to stay home and order and not step out. Also, the crowd was looking for a variety in terms of cuisine and was open to trying new cuisines, which led us to open this pan-Asian restaurant." From thukpa to tom yum, UNA cafe serves a range of delectable dishes. Their signature dishes include chicken satay, spicy soy shrimp rice, sesame soy noodles and spicy chilli basil cottage cheese bao.

There were challenges, however, when it came to establishing a new brand in the COVID-era. Dey talked about some of them. "Getting people to know about the brand, ensuring that we had the right set of sanitisation processes and temperature checks for the staff, and keeping the place hygienic and clean." But she said that online and offline partners, and effective marketing ultimately helped in establishing the brand.

Dey thinks that the biggest challenge is getting that first order from the customer which is always tricky. She said, "But once we have managed to get that first order, be it through an aggregator or walk-ins at the cafe, we have, overall, received excellent feedback. Everyone has been loving the food and giving us a lot of appreciation."

Talking about changes in consumer behaviour, Dey offered her insights. "Surprisingly, more dining-in is happening. The ratio is 60:40 for dine-in to online orders. Popularity is increasing with word of mouth as well. Our guests are our brand ambassadors, spreading the love of the cafe." With repeat customers giving positive word of mouth recommendations to everyone around them, Dey is optimistic about her restaurant's success even in an ever-changing climate.

Prasuk Jain, owner, The Game Palacio and Pink Wasabi

The Game Palacio is a one-of-a-kind arcade with a wide variety of games and dining, and Pink Wasabi is a pan-Asian eatery launched this past year in Mumbai. Prasuk Jain talked about the strategy behind opening The Game Palacio and Pink Wasabi in these uncertain times. "As we all know, international travel has been banned for quite a while now. The city has not really seen a concept like Game Palacio and Pink Wasabi. The idea was to curate the entire experience of dining, keeping it not just limited to food and alcohol. Pink Wasabi not only gives an experience of the London vibe, but the food that we have experimented with gives an added touch of flavour to Asian cuisine." The Game Palacio serves an eclectic multi-cuisine menu which includes hand tossed pizzas, Asian appetizers, sushi, indulgent desserts, and much more.Some of their most intriguing dishes include the Thai sambal Korean tofu dim sum, the black rice edamame roll, saffron risotto, and smoked charcoal flan.

Speaking about some of the challenges and opportunities around establishing a new brand in the COVID-era, especially with an in-person arcade format like The Game Palacio, Prasuk Jain says, "People are extremely comfortable in a safe environment when the protocol is followed and hygiene is maintained at the arcade. The Game Palacio has gone out of its way to ensure the comfort of the customer. As we all know that international travel is no more the way it used to be, we knew this is the right time to launch an international format like Game Palacio which is similar in concept to the Brooklyn Bowl. Concept and international quality are two important parameters, along with safety and hygiene which will help make a brand."

The Game Palacio's bowling alley was designed in Hungary. Pic/Prasuk Jain

When asked about how people's increasing preference for ordering over dining-in affected his restaurant, Pink Wasabi, Jain said "This is more of a myth. People are done sitting at home with no travel, making them step out the very moment the ban was lifted from the hospitality world. While we felt that people are going out of business, I believe the market has become bigger. People want to witness a normal life once again, hence entertainment and hospitality will see a jump in the near future. But will the jump be consistent is the question."

Jain spoke of some of the challenges they faced in operations. "Every retailer in the country has faced challenges from rental issues, low footfalls, salaries, taxation support, electric support, property tax issues, etc. with the added trouble of shutting the place by 12:00 which earlier was 8:00 and 10:00. Deliveries picked up for brands who have been In delivery business forever, but a delivery model for a restaurant is not an easy shift due to kitchen expenses."

Jain is quite happy about the response they've received so far. "Pink Wasabi and Game Palacio are some of the most well-known brands in the city now, so all I know is that people like our taste and the concepts we have created."

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