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Tag: Ankit Mehrotra

  • DLF Shopping Malls to go digital to promote contactless dining across malls

    DLF Shopping Malls to go digital to promote contactless dining across malls

    New Delhi: DLF Shopping Malls, the country’s physical marketplace has partnered with Inresto to create a contactless dining experience at restaurants and food courts across its malls. Starting with DLF Promenade, the service will also be available at DLF Cyberhub, Horizon Plaza, DLF 5 and DLF Mall of India in the coming time. 

    The digital technology will empower restaurants and food courts within DLF Shopping Malls to offer a seamless customer journey and a safe dining experience. With convenience features like digital menus, pre-ordering, table booking, digital payments and digital feedback. Thereby, minimizing the chances of touching common areas by our guests. 

    This technology will help food courts and restaurants in the mall to reduce the wait time to the minimum.  It will also enable restaurants to manage their operations at a capacity (as per
    social distancing norms) through its table management software. 

    For DLF Shopping Malls safety and well-being of consumers are the top concern and Contactless Dining is the first step in that direction for making diner’s experience safe and convenient. 

    Through DLF Malls Lukout app or by scanning the QR code our customers will be able to:

    · Browse through digital menus on their phones. It will ensure more safety and zero surface contact.

    ·Reserve tables at restaurants. It will improve social distancing. 

    ·Pre-order their meals thereby cutting the wait time at restaurants and food courts.  

    ·Check the hygiene and safety measures
    and rating of the outlet for assurance of safety.

    ·Give feedback to restaurants so that they can dial up their service. 

    ·Earn loyalty points digitally for their frequent visits. 

    Customers looking for takeaways can simply pre-order the dishes, grab the items from the counter and check out by making contactless payments through their smartphones. Thus, making the entire in-mall experience seamless and contact-free, as much as possible.

    Restaurants within the DLF Shopping Malls portfolio will be integrated with AI-powered video solutions from Staqu which will render specialised analytics on restaurant operations and bring the live feed to the diners helping them monitor safety parameters in the kitchen. 

    A live stream of the kitchen proceedings will also be available to the end customer on the Dineout app and assure them of the hygiene compliance and sanitization standards. This will help reinforce consumer confidence, thereby increasing quality footfalls to the restaurants.  

    Speaking on the partnership, DLF Shopping Malls executive director-Pushpa Bector said, “As we start re-opening our malls, our utmost priority is to provide a secure environment for our guests. So, we have partnered with Dineout’s inresto technology for enabling a contactless F&B service. We want to offer an unparalleled experience to our customers which is driven by technology innovation and making their visits enjoyable without compromising on safety and hygiene.”   

    Commenting on the announcement, Dineout Co-founder & CEO- Ankit Mehrotra said, “The post COVID era would see significant changes in malls from an operations perspective to comply with safe distancing measures within the mall. With our partnership, we are embarking our entry into retail space with inresto technology which will not only help in adjusting to the new demands but also managing the crowd and maintaining the social distancing within the food courts and in restaurants. Our product suite will ensure complete peace of mind for diners as they enjoy the exciting experience and create new memories at their favourite F&B outlets housed in DLF Shopping Malls portfolio. “

  • Dineout’s onward march into contactless future of restaurants

    Dineout’s onward march into contactless future of restaurants

    NEW DELHI: The ongoing COVID19 crisis is paving the way for a ‘new normal’ as most industry experts are arguing. There is positivity about demand reviving sooner than later, there are going to be newer consumer engagement rules, redefined spaces, and modified demands from not just users but also stakeholders. One of the sectors to quickly get back on track, if China is an example to follow, is going to be the restaurants and related services. There is a lot of pent-up demand in the sector to be addressed;  however, a lot of investments in new technologies and ways of indulging a visitor will have to be introduced as there is going to be a lot of apprehensions in a consumer’s mind.

    Taking a positive step in this direction, Dineout, one of the topmost digital products companies in the space, has started a slew of initiatives, with its Contactless Dining Suite, to ensure ‘contactless engagement’ at its partner restaurants. Not just that, it has started to extend these services to other categories as well, including hospitals, grocery stores, airports, and alcohol stores.

    Dineout co-founder and CEO Ankit Mehrotra told Indiantelevision.com: “Even before the Covid2019 breakout, we were one of the largest tech providers in the restaurant industry, helping them from CRM to cost-management, to billing, etc. A total of 15,000 restaurants were already a part of our network, utilising our software.”

    He added: “With contactless, we will have to understand that the idea is not to eliminate contact but make it lesser, taking it out from places where it can be easily avoided.”

    Mehrotra explained that with this whole suite, restaurants of tomorrow will function as cinema houses, where one will be able to book the table in advance, and also pre-order food, in theory reducing the amount of time they will be spending there.

    In addition to these services, there are going to be digital parking receipts and the visitors will be able to alert the valet to bring their car to the porch while paying the bill. The whole idea is to make the whole experience seamless, reduce time spent at crowded places, and completely take away the need to touch the menu, which is probably the most infected thing at a restaurant.

    The exciting part about this the visitors will not have to download the Dineout app to avail these services.

    Not just this, Dineout is offering its partner restaurants a yearly package, which will include a one-time set of PPE kits, sterilisation machines for utensils and cutlery, and software suite to manage the bookings and payments.

    “All these services come at a very cost-effective solution. The charges depend on a case-to-case basis. We are in touch with around 3000 restaurants where we might be offering an initial six months or so of service for free on a trial basis,” Mehrotra told us.

    Dineout is partnering with companies like Equinox to develop these features. It is also in touch with Google to develop certain other features like discovery and reservation models etc.

    Some of the companies that have already partnered with Dineout for the Contactless Suite are The Park (Juhu, Mumbai), Hyatt (Pune), Holiday Inn (Delhi), Radisson (Hyderabad), Mad Over Donuts, Mainland China, Giannis and SideWok.

    Mehrotra also added that in the next phase, their focus is going to be on architectural changes as well. “We are already working on increasing gaps between seats at partner restaurants. Going ahead, at more crowded places like QSRs, we are planning to install physical partitions. Most of the standing spaces in bars will be turned into seating arrangements to control the crowd.”

  • Dineout launches Project Thali to donate rations among needy

    Dineout launches Project Thali to donate rations among needy

    MUMBAI: With major economic activities stagnating, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the livelihoods and food security of millions of people across India. Home to one-quarter of all undernourished worldwide, malnourished individuals with compromised immunity including the urban poor, inhabitants of remote areas, migrants, the informally employed, people in conflict areas and other vulnerable groups are most susceptible to the economic and health effects of this pandemic.

    In an effort to end hunger, malnutrition and make food available to those suffering to meet ends during this lockdown, dining out and restaurant tech platform Dineout has launched ‘Project Thali’, a community-driven initiative that aims to connect the dots between volunteers, NGOs and the government ensuring everyone, including our poorest and most vulnerable communities who may not be able to claim daily ration get access to food and nourishment. Hosted in partnership with the non-profit World Help Group, this initiative is inviting people to a) donate rations, b) cooked food, c) volunteer or donate by means of guaranteeing food security for a vulnerable family for 15 days for Rs 1400 only.

    Dineout co-founder and CEO said, “The COVID-19 crisis has had a disastrous effect on the sustenance of our most vulnerable communities including homeless people, daily wagers and migrant workers. Senior citizens with limited resources in this lockdown too have been impacted. This share of our population is most exposed to hunger, malnutrition, exodus, destitution and other problems which may potentially be more widespread than the disease itself. In times of such dire crisis, we have launched Project Thali’ to ensure food reaches those who need it the most in an effort to have a real and lasting impact on eliminating hunger at local and national levels. We’ve had some initial success in the past two weeks by serving food to 100,000+ people in collaboration with over 1300 volunteers, and invite one and all to be a part of our mission to ensure no one sleeps hungry.”

    Besides ‘Project Thali’ to eliminate hunger among the needy, Dineout has initiated an online petition to support NRAI on change.org, requesting the Finance Ministry and Government of India to help restaurants with employee unemployment pay cover, a moratorium on upcoming statutory dues, delay in utility bill payments, holiday/temporary stoppage on EMI payments and interest, freezing rental dues and restoration of Input Tax Credit on GST for all restaurants. The petition has received widespread acknowledgement and has been signed by more than 35,000 people and endorsed by some of the country’s biggest restaurateurs and F&B entrepreneurs.

    You can contribute here – https://www.dineout.co.in/project-thali

  • Dineout unveils ‘Dineout later, stay home now’ initiative

    Dineout unveils ‘Dineout later, stay home now’ initiative

    MUMBAI: Dining out and restaurant tech platform, Dineout despite of its brand name and objective, is encouraging users to practise responsible social distancing and superior personal hygiene to combat the spread of COVID-19. As a part of this public health initiative aimed at promoting the need to stay home and stay healthy, the brand has changed its name across social media platforms to ‘Dineout Later. Stay Home Now’ and also changed their popularly used hashtag #LetsDineout to #LetsStayHome to show their support.

    Through social conversations with the hashtag #LetsStayHome, Dineout is sharing updates on how their team is working from home, having team lunch digitally together. They are also encouraging fellow Indians to stay entertained while indoors by exploring new hobbies, easy recipes, exercises and fun activities from the comfort of their homes amidst this crisis. People may also share their recipe ideas and photos of what they are cooking or eating with the same hashtag to promote healthy and safe eating habits. They have also created a unique Facebook event ‘Stay Home’ where they had invited people for a virtual dine-in on 22 March, the same day as Janta Curfew to have lunch from the comfort and safety of their homes. They have also announced the closure of their services and operations including denial of bookings and payments on 22 March to support the all India lockdown.

    Speaking on the brand’s public health initiative, Dineout co-founder and CEO Ankit Mehrotra observed, “Social gathering is the key to the F&B industry, while social distancing is the key to fighting the widespread of COVID-19 and we’re strongly promoting it across all our platforms. We stand strong with our restaurant partners who have closed operations temporarily and #LetsStayHome is our collective effort to remind everyone to focus on what matters the most amidst this health emergency – the health and safety of our loved ones and our communities.”

  • Dineout’s Great Indian Restaurant Festival brings the Joy Of Dining Out

    Dineout’s Great Indian Restaurant Festival brings the Joy Of Dining Out

    MUMBAI : Dineout, India’s largest dining out and restaurant tech solutions platform is back with the 5th edition of their Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) from 31st January to 1st March. With GIRF India will experience the #JoyOfDiningOut (JODO) with the biggest discounts on total bill, food, drinks, buffet and more, at 10000+ restaurants across 20 cities namely Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Indore, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Kochi, Surat, Agra, Udaipur, and Vadodara. Users can also additionally avail 20% cashback on their restaurant bills using Dineout Pay. With GIRF, Dineout aims to provide maximum savings for diners with exclusive partner offers from HDFC bank and bonus miles from Intermiles (formerly JetPrivilege).

    Dineout has also released a digital film around the festival focusing on “No Drama, Only Khaana” as a solution to diners who want value for their money without any drama, excuses or influences like birthdays, anniversaries and more, often used by people to get the best deals at restaurants.

    The full brand film can be watched here: https://youtu.be/yKw6z2CAljE

    To further encourage the dining out culture in the country, Dineout also coined the new millennial lingo JODO which is similar to FOMO and YOLO.

    Commenting on the latest edition of GIRF, Mr. Ankit Mehrotra, CEO & Co-founder, Dineout said,  “GIRF over the years has gained an unparalleled reputation of being one of the largest restaurant festivals in India. GIRF’s popularity affirms that Indians love dining out and are no more restricted to just occasions. With the biggest discounts and offers, we want to extend the #JoyOfDiningOut in the truest sense to our users across 20 cities, especially millennials who will resonate with the language of #JODO.” 5th Edition of GIRF: Biggest discounts on top rated 10,000+ restaurants across 20 cities Exclusive partner offers from HDFC bank and bonus miles from InterMiles (formerly JetPrivilege) Gourmet Passport members got early access to GIRF deals from 22nd -24th January

    Dineout has successfully organized 4 editions of GIRF since 2017. Last year, GIRF was introduced twice in the same year in the months of February & August, seating close to 2.5 million & 4 million diners respectively. It also helped its participating restaurants garner revenue higher than the usual days during both the editions. The participating restaurants witnessed 3x rise in their revenue in their most recent edition. GIRF deals for all can be bought starting 25th Jan for dining between 31st January to 1st March 2020 at restaurants like Social, Lord of the Drinks, Mainland China, Mamagoto, Smoke House Deli, Indigo Delicatessen, Radisson, Roseate, Burger King, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut & more.

    Speaking on the association, a spokesperson from HDFC Bank said, “We are happy to be associated with Dineout’s Great Indian Restaurant festival for 3rd consecutive year. The festival in a short span of time has been instrumental in driving change towards the dining culture of India. The festival’s popularity has helped us build a strong connect with our customers also as they look for offers & cashbacks. While GIRF offers great deals, HDFC Bank customers can additionally enjoy exclusive deals & cashbacks during the festival.

    Vikas Chandak, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Business & Partnerships of InterMiles, said,

    We, at InterMiles, are committed to building strong partnerships that drive significant value & enriching experiences for our members. Our long-standing partnership with Dineout is immensely popular with our members and we witness a remarkable increase in engagement during the Great Indian Restaurant Festival. We are happy to participate in the 5th edition of GIRF as Food Sponsors & Reward Partners. We are confident that this year, once again, our members will enjoy the GIRF deals and the additional benefits brought to them by InterMiles.”

    So, get ready to experience a month full of dining out at great discounts with no hidden agendas. Enjoy hassle-free experiences and without stressing about over-budget bills.

  • This cricket season ‘dineout’ launches ‘Predict online & eat offline’ campaign

    This cricket season ‘dineout’ launches ‘Predict online & eat offline’ campaign

    MUMBAI: Full-stack technology service provider in the online restaurant-booking space, dineout after having launched its ‘predict online & eat offline’ campaign on the sidelines of IPL 12th edition, has already crossed over 10 crore cashback to users within the first week of the series.

    The new campaign is launched with a focus to bring people together during cricket matches and encourage them to dine-out at their favourite restaurant.

    Speaking on the campaign, dineout co-founder and CEO Ankit Mehrotra said, “Cricket is like a religion in India, and people love watching it. Through this campaign, we are stressing towards a cultural and lifestyle shift. We somewhere feel that the whole era of going out and enjoying cricket matches at a restaurant with your loved ones is fading away. Therefore with this campaign, we wish to see a change in our lives. We are not just saying to go out and have food, but make more memories over a meal while enjoying your favorite sport at a restaurant.”

    ‘Predict online & eat offline’ allows users to predict the winning team every day along with the scores for each team to stand a chance to win up to Rs. 900 dineout earnings every day. The results of predictions will be revealed at the end of every match along with the credit of the earnings won. Earnings worth Rs. 50,000 can be won this season. The top scorer in ‘Predict and win’ will win a trip for 2 to London powered by Ixigo.

  • PayTM & Dineout partner for cashback programme

    PayTM & Dineout partner for cashback programme

    MUMBAI: In a bid to tempt foodies to dine out and indulge in a wonderful gastronomical affair, mobile commerce platform PayTM has partnered with Dineout.co.in, an online table reservation service.

     

    Through the Dineout loyalty programme, users can take advantage of having a table reserved, avail discounts and additional savings in the form of cashback and loyalty points credited into their PayTM wallets.

     

    By completing tasks like writing reviews, inviting friends and checking-in while at the restaurant through the Dineout app, users can earn loyalty points. All these points are redeemable to cash directly into a users PayTM wallet.

     

    PayTM VP Amit Lakhotia said, “PayTM and Dineout enjoy massive popularity and the loyalty programme that we have devised is a truly innovative concept for the benefit of our users. PayTM is committed to coming up with extremely innovative tie-ups to offer customers maximum benefit while using their digital wallets. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership, we aim to give food connoisseurs in India another reason to turn to technology for the most convenient and rewarding dining out experience till date.”

     

    Dineout.co.in co-founder Ankit Mehrotra added, “For serious foodies, dining out is beyond a hobby, it is a way of life! After speaking to many Dineout users we arrived at a loyalty program where our valued patrons can reap the benefits of sticking with a great service. PayTM was an obvious choice for this partnership owing to their wide consumer reach, and the ease of use of the service. Dineout users can now enjoy additional earnings in the form of direct cash back into their PayTM wallet for writing-reviews, inviting their friends and via check-ins when they arrive at the restaurant/venue.”