Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 13 (AF): The National Restaurant Association of India Hyderabad Chapter hosted a conclave of the Indian Restaurant Industry, Indian Restaurant Conclave 2022 at Hyderabad International Convention Centre on Tuesday.
The conclave was inaugurated by Minister for Industry & Commerce, KT Rama Rao.
This is the first time that NRAI conducted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) outside the national capital.
Among those present at the event were the stakeholders of the restaurant industry, restaurateurs of India, foreign delegates, investors, and bureaucrats from across the country.
According to a statement by NRAI, the Hyderabad chapter of the NRAI through its collaborative efforts with the Commerce and Industries Department of the Telangana government unveiled an application for the food service sector through the TS-iPASS portal.
“This portal will ensure a streamlined and faster process of licenses through a single window within 15 days Vis-a-vis an earlier time period of eight months. Providing the upcoming hoteliers and restaurant owners a less cumbersome process and thus enhancing the region’s ease of doing Food & Beverages business. The TS iPASS portal will not only be applicable to Restaurants, Bars, and Food outlets, but also to kiosks, bakeries, cafes, and cloud kitchens,” said the statement.
During the conclave, there were in-person panel discussions by the industry players including Rahul Agrawal, CEO-Barbeque Nation, Nishit Pandey, CEO, Mc Donalds, AD Singh, MD, Olive Bar & Kitchen Group, Chaitanya Muppala, Almond House and others.
Discussions were held on topics impacting the restaurant industry, targeted to meet the requirements of CEOs and CXOs, Chefs, owners, and various marketing teams.
Speaking on the occasion, NRAI president, Kabir Suri said that the demands have transformed the food and beverage industry with the changing demographics, evolving consumer behaviour, and preferences.
“There is a continuous need to ensure food security with the growing population and the F&B industry is one of the vital ones, intertwined in the daily lives of people,” he said.
Chef Shankar Krishnamurthy, Chapter Head, NRAI, Hyderabad recalled the impact of the COVID pandemic on the restaurants and food service businesses.
“Restaurants and food service businesses were some of the first economic activities severely impacted by the pandemic. Our chapter plays a key role in promoting skills and career opportunities for industry professionals through the Hospitality Sector Skill Council. The launch of this new portal is in the right direction towards organising this very important sector, which is in line with the Government of India’s ‘Digital India’ programme,” he said.
Founder of NRAI, Hyderabad Chapter & Member, MC, NRAI- National, Shaaz Mehmood said that the restaurants will need to keep up with the latest trends in order to thrive in the competitive market.
“Being cognizant of the fact that the COVID -19 pandemic has had the biggest hit on the F&B industry. We understand that to stay afloat and thrive in this dynamic and competitive market, restaurants will need to keep up with the latest F&B trends by adopting new-age technology and elevating the dining experience,” he said.
The NRAI Hyderabad Chapter threw light on one of its initiatives ‘Mission Khana’ which falls in line with child welfare and food security. According to this, it provides 300 hot meals per day to the underprivileged children and homeless in the city and targets to scale up to 1,000 hot meals per day.
Its ‘Mission Kaam’ is aimed at elevating the underprivileged sector in society and helping create a skilled and employable workforce for the restaurant industry. (AF)
