As some lockdown restrictions have been taken off, social distancing, minimal physical contact, hygiene and disposable incomes are going to determine human actions, says Ashish Ahuja
Since time immemorial, humans have adapted to the changing environment. These adaptations pass off unnoticed, when viewed over a short period of time. But as one takes a bird’s eye-view of the period in question — lets say a decade, a century or a millennium — the transformation becomes apparent. However, the pace at which COVID-19 is forcing humanity to change and adapt is astounding. It seems, that in less than six months since the virus struck, human behaviour is undergoing a shift, one that is noticeable.
An extended hand towards a confident handshake gesture is met with our age-old “Namaskar”. The act of cheek kissing (La bise in French) while meeting someone, gets replaced with an “elbow-knock”. Welcome to the new-age greeting trends in a world trying to come to terms with having to live with COVID-19. Human interactions seem to be changing, and naturally portend a shift in how consumers behave and interact while patronising restaurants in times to come.
As some lockdown restrictions have been taken off, social distancing, minimal physical contact, hygiene and disposable incomes are going to determine human behaviour. Each one of these, in some measure, shall alter consumer behaviour in the restaurant ecosystem.
Sparsely laid-out restaurants
From the concept of “six degrees of separation” which theorised human connect, the world is now hunkering down to “six feet of separation” in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Naturally, this entails that consumers would be averse to dining where tables are set close to each other. Expect seating capacity at restaurants to maybe halve, in order to create the requisite distance. Innovative ways to screen off adjacent tables are already being developed by enterprising ideators. No more pushing at the bar counter to squeeze oneself in for another round of gin & tonic. The vibe of a restaurant/bar went much beyond the four walls. The cacophony of human chatter from close quarters is what made it vibrant. With the six feet in play, this would definitely change. The void, probably filled with lyrics of Michael Jackson’s “We are the World”.
Smaller Groups
Taking off from the concept of social distancing, diners would prefer to meet in smaller groups. The sight of a table of 15 would probably be replaced with cosy tables of twos and fours. Dining shall get more intimate and would probably be limited to meeting family and close friends, rather than a party.
Contact-less Dining Experience
Consumers will avoid not just physical proximity, but shall prefer to minimise physical contact with objects as well as persons. At a restaurant, consumers would probably prefer to enter doors that are sensor controlled as opposed to palming the “push” sign, unless someone else does the pushing for them. Glossy paper menus would cede ground to digital menus accessible on their personal mobile phones. The fight over who gets the bill folder at the end of the meal might get replaced with a sublime chime on the mobile phone — a digital invoice. A few clicks and the same would have been paid digitally without the need for touching currency notes or fumbling with the keypad on the oft-used credit card terminal. This would be the coming of age of the “contact-less” dining experience, which was being pedal-pushed by start-ups for the last few years. The sight of robots serving is not unthinkable, but consumers would probably view them as pure optics, and still prefer the congenial server, who smiles, while bringing their food to the table. The process of preparation of food and drinks and the act of relishing the same, shall ordinarily be spared of this contact-less mania till humanity evolves further for it to be possible and enjoyable, and thankfully so.
The Shift to Ordering-In
Since the fear of the virus is all pervading, consumers might be averse to spending time at public places. Restaurants, being such, shall have to win the confidence of customers before they start patronising the services with confidence. The fear of dining-out might also shift the consumer to order-in in the comfort of their homes (spaces they have control over). Consumer preferences might shift from a “bar night with friends” to “private gatherings at home”. Hopefully, such private gatherings shall still be serviced by food from their favorite eateries.
YouTube Chefs
The lockdown, by its very nature, allowed millions to have time available at hand. Some used this time to learn the art of cooking through YouTube and the like. Going by the number of such posts on Facebook and Instagram, a certain percentage of potential diners might have already pivoted to being home-chefs capable of preparing a fine meal without the urge to order-in.
Reduced Consumer Spend
The economic havoc that the pandemic has saddled us with, in most likelihood, has left very little disposable incomes in the hands of the majority. Since dining out is purely a discretionary spend, the amount a consumer spends going forward would diminish. Opting for better value-for-money options, to reducing frequency of visits might be common themes across consumers, for them to manage their monthly budgets.
Masks & Sanitisers — the new vanity kit
Hygiene, both personal as well as public, would be demanded as well as practiced by consumers. Dressing up for the evening before stepping out to dine, would now also involve choosing the right shade or print of the mask to be worn. The shade of the mask might become as important as the shade of the lipstick. Restaurant entrances would seem like sanitisation zones, with customers ensuring that their hands get a taste of the alcohol before they do. More than discounts, customers would demand that their servers splash the same before serving. In a nutshell, consumer behaviour would exhibit the strongest preference for all things hygienic. Standards of hygiene and safety would determine when, where and how the consumer opens his/her digital wallet.
The Right Degree - 98.4
Consumers would now be subjected to an infra-red thermal scanner to check whether they qualify to enter the premises, purely for safety reasons. Thus, consumers would probably check their body temperature before making a reservation. Whatsapp texts among friends would change from “Hope you are wearing a collared shirt” to “Hope, you are not hot enough”.
While, we second-guess what the new world looks like, the “new normal” would have varying degrees of what has been enumerated above. The factor of fear would determine if the changes to consumer behaviour are permanent or a passing phase.
Some changes would be permanent, while others would no longer be relevant, once the panic dissipates. Hopefully, among others, the art of queuing up without pushing and keeping our public spaces clean, would stay forever.
Till such time, learn to communicate with your eyes, since saying “read my lips” through the mask might not be as effective.
They say, time is a great healer. In time, we shall know.
(The writer is Director, Pebble Street.)
