New ideas and safe practices implemented in various businesses, particularly in the food and beverage (F&B) sector, have helped attract more customers amid the Covid-19 outbreak, further boosting the recovery of the industry, it is learnt.
“Diners have seemed to very seamlessly transition to the new practices employed in dining establishments so far, like e-menus and absence of buffets, so the positive response has definitely encouraged a lot of new business ideas and practices that are yielding great results, maybe even higher than in the previous years,” Yazan Latif, hotel manager at Sharq Village & Spa, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, told Gulf Times.
“In my opinion, the winter months are the best to capitalise on outdoor dining venues and coffee shops owing to the fact that patrons can enjoy good weather while they dine as well as avoid confined indoor spaces that carry a higher risk of infection,” he said.
It is learnt that several other restaurant offerings continue to entice a growing number of guests who have become more confident going out and dining with families and friends.
Latif noted that patrons now prefer the ‘set menu’ or ‘family-style’ dining “because there is value in seeing a complete 4-5 course meal, which turns out to be fairly similar to the abundance of options offered in buffet-style dining”.
He said ‘live’ stations, which allow guests to watch how their food is prepared, remained to be “a very enticing option” as it provides comfort to them and an assurance of hygiene standards being maintained.
“Of course in this case ‘show kitchens’ of ‘gueridon-style’ cooking and service techniques come into play and are a new investment for some establishments but definitely a profitable one in the long run,” Latid added.About the recovery of the hospitality sector in the coming months and in a post-Covid-19 scenario, as well as with the new and positive developments in the country and the region, he said it “has noticed a slow but steady recovery that has occurred over the past few months in phases released by the Ministry of Public Health”. The dining sector, he added, “has particularly had to remain conservative and comply fully with the Qatar Clean programme that has immensely benefited the opening progress with regular audits conducted, ensuring no establishment is flouting social distancing and hygiene procedures”.
“At Sharq Village & Spa, we have taken extreme care to ensure social distancing is maintained in restaurants and lounges by limiting seating capacities as well as high-touch frequencies by changing our food presentation from buffet-style to ‘live’ station and set menu-style, due to which there are lesser contamination chances,” Latif said.
The hotel, he noted, removed high-touch communication surfaces such as physical menu cards and guest information dockets, among others, replacing all communication with QR code-enabled ones.
“I reckon the upcoming months will definitely benefit from this positive development but at the same time, require patrons to ensure to follow the guidelines while still enjoying dining out,” Latif said.
Yazan Latif
