Smart Kitchen Company’s Employment Protection Programme in a Post-COVID World
-Sushmita Arora
What will happen to the food and beverage industry as the world adapts to a new normal? This question seems to be on the minds of those running successful restaurant chains in the country, and also those who are recent entrants into space. With the supply chain dwindling, and a dearth of government efforts to revive or sustain the F&B industry, there is a cloud of uncertainty that hovers over almost everyone in this profession. However, there is a way around this to protect one of the most loved industries as well as the countless jobs that will be lost as collateral damage if innovation and creativity don’t take over now.
Even before COVID-19, there was a wave of ‘conscious consumption’ and a multitude of user conversations around how they seek products that help consumers stay healthy. This was a trend that a lot of chains adapted to. What we are witnessing now also requires a shift in the industry, not just in terms of the kind of food offering but also the entire business model in order to stay afloat and relevant. The consumption trends of users post lockdown will continue to wary, but users will definitely now seek out home delivery options much more than dining in. This means the avenues to create jobs considerably declines, as kitchen and waiting staff will be required in much lower numbers.
Now is the time where we need to come together, re-imagine the food and beverage space and look out for one another to prosper even during the dull times. Smart Kitchen Company’s commitment to keeping food industries running stems from exactly this common motive. In order to protect employees, businesses and the industry at large, Smart Kitchen Company is offering an employment protection programme. With Smart Kitchen Company, Delhi-based food brands or restaurants are not required to pay revenue share for the first two months, while all digital services, infrastructure, marketing support, and amenities are available to them during this period and beyond. This employment protection programme aims to both salvage jobs as well as revive food businesses, as it gives the company owners the opportunity to sustain their operations at a low cost while adjusting to the new reality. Restaurant brands — from dine-in to delivery — can explore this model as a pilot into the new era of our industry. If your core business proposition of new strategies fit well into a cloud kitchen set up, then do reach out to Smart Kitchen Company to explore a potential partnership.
Happy employees and loyal ones are the need of the hour as the restaurants can re-think their business model instead of pausing, or shutting down functions altogether. There is a way out that protects brand identity, safeguards the jobs of employees, and sustains business — that is shifting to a cloud kitchen model and restructuring to become delivery-only brands. Customer needs are going to change, and the service industry needs to adapt to these constant changes by being open-minded, innovative cutting edge. Most importantly, they need to be mindful as thousands of jobs are at risk and the most creative minds need to come together to eradicate or at least lessen the impact of the pandemic by bringing forth new ways and experiments to keep the industry alive and healthy.
