BW HOTELIER'S second F&B Conclave and Expo, which took place at The Grand New Delhi on July 27, saw an interesting conversation develop during the Panel session titled 'F&B is Just A Big 'F' Without the 'B': Raising the Bar for Beverages'. The panel, which was preceeded by a presentation made by Anirudh Singhal, Founder, Alphaq, touched on the various aspects of beverages and how important they are to the overall F&B earnings in hotels and restaurants.
Ankur Chawla, Director of Beverages, JW Marriot, New Delhi says, “How beverage is experienced today is changing and it is way beyond the theoretical concepts. So it is the experience now that matters.” The evolution in the beverage sector has a lot of examples he adds. People are very particular about their requirements and taste and it is both for alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic drinks. The way we serve has also changed. In fact, I feel that the popularity of a beverage brand depends a lot on hotel than a consumer. Looking at a bottle and the way it is presented makes a customer choose their drink and it is amazing.
Sonal Holland, Divisional Head, Wine and Beverage, ITC Hotels says, “Globalization has a great impact on our industry, but sadly we are not keenly following the global trends in India especially for wine”. She adds that today sales on the trade is 30% and at retail is 70% and it number has flipped. Standalone restaurants’ are doing much more in the beverage space than hotels. Something has to be done to ramp up the beverage seen in the luxury hotels. We need to work on the gaps in the lack of knowledge which has brought fear and ignorance and we are missing the opportunity. She concludes by saying that “Innovation needs to be presented in drinks. Something like a beverage program has to be designed and implemented so that we can champion the beverage vertical.”
Anirudh Singhal, Founder, Alphaq says, “The interest has exponentially grown in back-end operations like bar equipment, storage, etc. Just a simple thing like doing the bar set up and equipment while keeping the bar tender in mind makes a huge difference in service and efficiency of the bar tender. The reason being that it becomes easier for him to work on that set up”. He adds that a lot of things need to be done back-end as it affects the front end and this is what is trending.
Nitesh Gandhi, General Manager, Trident Gurgaon says, “Everything has changed and now we should be looking at passing the benefits to guests/customers.” Things have changed dramatically. Not only beverages’ but also the glasses in which they are served. Music plays a big role. Differentiation from others and new combinations are being looked up. He adds that the consumer and markets are making hotels to innovate. Price plays a big role in the beverage sales, so if taxes are rationalized it will have a big impact. Experience makes a huge difference.
Viraj Lamba, Founder, Director, Funbars Hospitality, MTV Flyp says that “What’s selling is the experience. People do not come only for Food and Beverages, but they come for experience; especially the younger generation.” GLOCAL is coming into the picture and people want to see and visit where hospitality is good. He concludes by saying that is not just value, cost and experience; but it is 360 of everything.
Yangdup Lama, Owner/Partner, Thirsty Three Hospitality says “The consumer and the F&B professionals have changed the most. This business is being taken more seriously from the last 10 years and it is very recent.” People are experiencing food and Beverages’ by travelling and they want the same services when they come back to India. This is putting pressure on F&B professionals and promoters. He concludes by saying that cocktail revolution has gone to another level and with programs focused on bartender skills; I feel it is a great step to understand the concept of beverage service and experience. We need to invest in training and make the bartender experience how it is being on the other side. A great conversation across the bar table, the way we present and interact with our customers, the design of the bar etc. are some factors that play a big role.
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