
Snapshots of Food Industry News
GOFRUGAL Offers Free Applications for Kirana Stores
In its commitment to help small retailers, GOFRUGAL is waiving the cost of their online ordering and delivery management applications for up to 6 months till September 30. The cloud-ERP company has made this concession, as after the enforcement of the lockdown, small retailers selling essential goods are experiencing different types of challenges like logistic issues, cash flow and keeping in mind social distancing.
With continued lockdown across major cities in India, consumers are returning to their neighbourhood kiranas for their daily needs. However, these small retailers are not able to serve customers through phone, WhatsApp or online ordering. GOFRUGAL which already works with kirana stores realises the need for them to go Omnichannel. Since building their own platforms will cost money GOFRUGAL is providing free bundled solutions. With OrderEasy the kirana store can set up an exclusive branded android app/iOS app through which their consumers can order and the order is punched only when the item is available. With GoDeliver they can manage deliveries as they can track the delivery and location and even reschedule or cancel it.
Restaurant Industry will Serve 10 Million Meals During Lockdown
The National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) has taken up the Prime Minister’s call to feed the poor and is extending its wholehearted support by serving 10 million meals during the lockdown. NRAI says that human issues have to take precedence over commercial considerations under the current circumstances. NRAI has already produced and served almost one and a half million meals in two weeks under its #FeedTheNeedy initiative with active crowdfunding efforts. Participating Restaurants are as follows
Mumbai: Barbeque Nation, Blue Sea, Café Royal, Cheelizza, deGustibus Hospitality, Gritty Food, Madras Diaries, Mag Street Kitchen, Massive Restaurants, Pratap Da Dhaba, Puja Raheja and Spukkies
Delhi NCR: Barbeque Nation, Chaayos, Cream of the Crop, Massive Restaurants, Noshi, Piers 38, Pra Prank, Saint and Sinners, Yum Cha
Bengaluru: Bade Miyan, Barbeque Nation, Beijing Bites, Green Theory, Massive Restaurants, Royanna Military Canteen, Smally’s, Watson’s
Kolkata: 1000BC, Barbeque Nation, Kaidi Kitchen, Khichri Khichdi, Refinery 091, Sanjha Chulha, The Grid, Wow! Momo
The restaurant industry has taken a hit because of the lockdown but they are banking on the Govt. support them as they hope for an announcement of a larger stimulus package for the Industry post the lockdown.
Pizza Hut, KFC & McDonald’s Serve Meals in Government Hospitals
McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and KFC have committed to serving meals to medical and frontline staff at government hospitals across several cities as part of their COVID-19 relief initiatives in India. Pizza Hut and KFC India have already started distribution to medical and frontline staff in Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. McDonald’s India and digital payment platform Paytm have also joined hands to distribute food to healthcare workers in Mumbai.Pizza Hut and KFC India have taken end-to-end responsibility of sourcing raw material, preparing meals and delivering meals directly to the hospitals every day.
The brands have also been working in a similar way with on-ground authorities in a few cities to provide fresh and hygienic food to the frontline workers. Both have distributed approx. 600 burgers to healthcare workers at Cooper Hospital, Juhu, Mumbai. Pizza Hut and KFC have added several WHO-recommended safety and hygiene measures to their existing policies. The brands are also following an end-to-end contactless delivery process, wherein a pre-paid order can be placed on their app, website or mobile site.McDonald’s has associated with multiple NGOs and organisations across cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad to reach out to close to 10,000 frontline workers, daily-wage earners and slum dwellers.
Instapizza Lends Support to the Underprivileged
Home grown brand, Instapizza has come out in support of the underprivileged who have been affected due to COVID-19. Though the restaurant services are down, Instapizza finds itself in a relatively fortunate position of being able to operate some of its stores. Although 4 out of its 14 stores are shut, and sales at the stores that are open, are down 40-50 percent.
Seeing that there are scores of people in the NCR who are finding it difficult to access food. Instapizza decided to leverage its infrastructure in the form of teams, operational kitchens, and functioning supply chains to feed the impoverished local communities.
Out of the 10 hours of operations, Instapizza’s teams are dedicating 2 hours per day to preparing and distributing food. The teams prepare around 100 meals per outlet in an hour and then spend an hour distributing that food to the underprivileged. That means that with its 10 outlets, the brand has been able to get 1000 meals out per day.Instapizza is also using its supply chain to acquire raw materials like pulses and grains, and donating these raw materials to the Red Cross. It has also collaborated with Akshaya Patra, whereby it donates part of the proceeds of every single order to Akshaya Patra.
Local Kirana Shops Flourishing in Lockdown
Online delivery is facing certain challenges during lockdown and so it is the local kirana shops that have become the go to stores for daily needs. These kirana stores are now witnessing a surge in the sale of essential items. These small retailers had been the worst hit by big malls and e-retailers in the last few years, but since the lockdown are seeing a rise in sales. Some shopkeepers say their sales have even doubled in the last one month. Since the lockdown, people prefer to buy groceries by checking them personally. Also, people using the local kirana stores, as online shopping has seen frequent cancellations. The Kirana stores are conscious about the spread of the virus and are insisting that people maintain social distancing while visiting these shops. The sale in some shops has been so high that the suppliers are finding it difficult to fulfil demand.
BOX8 to Home Deliver Fresh Essentials in 30 Minutes
As the lockdown continues, BOX8 has commenced delivery service of fresh essentials and has said it will deliver them within 30 minutes. Fresh vegetables and fruits, breads, dairy products are available on the BOX8 app, while other grocery essentials, snacks and poultry products are expected to be added soon. The service is available to both existing as well as new users. With 120+ kitchens and an owned delivery fleet, the delivery will be facilitated in Mumbai, Gurugram, Pune and Bengaluru.
Nobody wants to stand in long queues at grocery stores or in the society arranged vegetable marts because of social distancing norms. Since there are unfulfilled online orders with delivery slots being overbooked people are struggling to get the basic cooking essentials.
BOX8 is trying to solve this problem by delivering its readily available essentials to households in under 30 minutes and also ensuring safety with its absolute zero contact delivery. Customers can place the order online by downloading the BOX8 app and visiting the InstaFresh section.
Leave a Reply