Thinking Outside the Box

INITIALLY WHEN I thought of eating out, I imagined a restaurant - four walls, a 4 by 4 table, white linen table cloths and a mustachioed waiter noting down my order. This was followed by the customary 45 minutes wait, I then wolfed down the meal, was handed the bill and left satisfied. The hospitality industry has come a long way since then. It has become exceedingly important for hospitality chains to reach out to their consumer rather than wait for diners to approach them. Chef's have stepped out of their kitchen into your home. Food has now found their way into places that you frequent.
The recently opened Magazine Kitchen in Byculla has blurred the lines between event space, restaurant and kitchen with its collaborative and interactive culinary theatre.
Then there is the country's first standalone banquet hall - The Mayfair Banquets with the introduction of their curated meal boxes they no longer restrict themselves to their landmark Worli location or to large catering events.
Celebrated Chef's like Gaggan Anand don't wait to start an outpost in the city to reach our stomachs, but their pop ups have had equally long reservation list.
If you want to impress your guests with your cooking stills you have brands like iChef.in who conveniently offer you the recipe, source the ingredients and even do the prep so that you can enjoy a restaurant quality meal without leaving home.
What's more sometimes you run into a kiosk of your favourite restaurants in the most unusual places. This weekend will be yet another example. On 15th & 16th October, India's largest gaming expo - IGX 2016 is back at World Trade Centre, this time packed with a lot more attractions from the Play Stations VR virtual reality headset launch to a stellar-line up of the latest blockbuster games. But that's not all, gamers this year are in for a treat as some of the city's top restaurants set up shop at the expo. Grab a bite at Desi Deli offering familiar international food with a gourmet desi twist and Indian street food conjured up with an international flair. The makers of Bombay Food Truck, will be bring to you Poutinewalla – Fries with a twist. Keeping Mumbai’s taste palate’s in mind, choose between the Pav Bhaji or Butter Chicken Poutine or then the classic Cheese and Mushroom Poutine. Hard cut, cooked to perfection and served hot! Or then go healthy with delicious nibbles from Snackible such as the cream and onion wholewheat thins or the chocochip waffles. Fast meets fine with Francesco's offering the finest artisanal pizzas on the go so that gamers can power up before returning for another round of FIFA 17.
Dining out takes on a whole new connotation today. It isn't just a matter of more extensive choices of cuisines. Or of reserving a table at the most recently opened restaurant. Today fast foods, fine dining, health menus and even specialized cuisines have infiltrated into the work place and all our entertainment spaces. Popcorn isn't the only accompaniment at the movies it could be dim sums or sushi. So next time you go out rest assured you won't have to come home to a cold dinner.

Nikhila Palat

Guest Author The author is CEO – Katalyst Reputation Management.