Covid lessens dine in options for foodies

BHUBANESWAR: No matter how perfect an ambience you create at home or how many dishes you rustle up, nothing can beat a dine-in at your favourite restaurant. As change is the spice of life, people take great delight in tasting a variety of food at different hotels and restaurants, once in a while. With restaurants downing shutters in the wake of the corona pandemic, the foodies have long been deprived of their platter of exquisite cuisines and so are those who love experimenting with different dishes.
Making things more difficult for those who live to eat, weekend shutdown is in force during which period many people like to enjoy an outing with their families. Though takeaways and home deliveries were allowed before the pandemic, people would still flock to the restaurants.
“I promised my family a candle-light dinner before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. I am yet to honour my word with restaurants only allowing takeaways and home deliveries according to Covid norms,” said Nihar Sahoo, a central government employee, for whom dining out with family in restaurants is a must once a week. Nihar does not know how long it will take before he can enjoy a candle-lit dinner at a restaurant.
Sunita Mohanty, a homemaker, said, “I prepare different types of food at home. But my husband is a big-time foodie. So are the two children. They insist on having dinner at restaurants. I respect their preference as some of the cuisines I can’t prepare at home. Also I get a much-needed breather from my regular cooking schedule.”
For many people, dining at a restaurant is a must during weekends as home deliveries can’t provide an outing. Deboo Patnaik, owner of a popular restaurant chain ‘Dalma’ said, “Among the customers, 50% are repeat ones while 35% are regulars. The look and feel of a platter at a restaurant is unique, which draws the customers. The presentation and style in hotels is different from home. It is a pan-to-plate which clicks as many of our customeers don’t like to eat food which is kept in refrigerators.”
The ambience in several restaurants is also a big draw for customers, while some hotels have specialized in a particular cuisine that tickles the taste bud of food connoisseurs.
Susanta Mishra, owner of the ‘Angan’ chain of restaurants said, “People come to restaurants for a change from the monotonous eating schedule at home. Our regular customers keep on asking me when will the hotel start serving food once again.”
Software professionals and engineering students go in groups to restaurants to have an outing. Also some students prefer to eat in hotels as they get fed up with the food served in canteens. Rakesh Sharma, a software professional, said, “I am a regular at many restaurants because I hate cooking. I want to taste all kinds of food so I hop from one restaurant to other. But for a specific dish, I prefer restaurants that prepare the authentic recipe.”
Raj Kumar Marwha, owner of an air-conditioned dhaba, said, “People come to our dhaba to relish tandoor chicken and tadka. While our eatery would remain chock-a-block with people earlier, this pandemic has robbed them off their favourite dishes served piping hot. In the process, we have also been deprived of serving our customers.”
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