There is now also more stress laid on retaining staff and inculcating loyalty amongst them. Restaurants have adopted technology and has taken hygiene to higher levels. The pandemic has taught one to be frugal and hygiene is now the top priority. What measures is the industry undertaking to get back on its feet? Only if you survive can you then seek increased profits. So, even if sales have increased, the margins have decreased and no one is really complaining because the key word now is revival and survival. Raw materials and freight prices, etc have hit the roof. (But) one must realise that even if sales have increased, profitability hasn’t because of drastic rise in rates of everything. Surely, sales have got better and back to pre-pandemic times. This is good for the industry as a whole.Īre post-pandemic sales matching pre-pandemic times?

As we proceed, I can see that domestic travel will increase along with foreign travel. Hill stations continue to drive the economy. Two-tier and three-tier towns and cities are leading the revival along with holiday destinations like Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. All this has resulted in a win-win situation for the guests because they are getting to choose the best from among a bunch. Yes, attractive offers to woo guests do feature in agendas of all hotels but then, there is only so much of a price drop one can do. Prices in hotels are still low but that (increase in tariff) will depend on the demand-and-supply situation, which, I reckon, will improve as travel resumes. Other changes include staff training and efforts towards retention, more stress on hygiene, use of technology to reduce human input, which was also necessitated by non-availability of staff. Chains sought this as an opportunity to get assets below their worth distress sales were lapped up by larger chains – those with a stash of saved cash. Buy at just Rs 108 per month now How has the pandemic changed the industry?

Pulse cafe