Focus

The science of designing a food court

Multiplexes and malls are known mostly for their retail growth, but there is only so much output one can expect from them. It is time to look into what else they can provide. F&B has always been an integral part, but somehow left out. Here, the chief of F&B operations & design Dhiren Kanwar at Kshitij Investment Advisory discusses ways to take F&B in malls ahead

Today every new area which opens up is about specialisation. And the same is the case with a mall. There is technology which keeps a check on the foot fall coming in; there are fit-outs where within 20 to 30 days a commercial space is fixed for an operator to start up a business. But unfortunately food courts within malls neither have specialised positioning or functioning.

It is important to remember that Indians rate food as an important part of going out; being part and parcel of all social occasions within the country. As far as malls are concerned, food is identified as a key area where emotional connection with the shopper can be built upon, which is directly related to a stronger bond created with the customers, resulting in repeat customers. Therefore it is integral to re-evaluate how we position food outlets in malls.

People gravitate towards a mall either because of a cineplex, or a large retail outlet. Food is just bundled together with either one or both of these, to create a complete package. Nothing is done to make the food court stand out. When discussing food courts, designing the space is very crucial. Spaces need to be fully utilised, back-end and front-end both alike. On the front end, positioning of the menus and sightline and the quality of the food served are all a part of the science of designing a food court, hence developing the food court as an anchor for the mall.

While designing, there are two basic things that have to be kept in mind: what is the customer looking for and what is being offered. Accordingly, a good brand or an idea which has a lot of scope, together with a provision for good customer service and perhaps attractive and alluring design elements will guarantee people's attention. The design element itself has to be a tried and tested concept, blending in some new creative ideas. After that, what makes a difference is the quality the menu is offering. The menu has to have enough depth and breadth and enough choices with good availability, to satisfy the customers. This helps not just the mall but the food outlet as well.

Visibility leads to conversion. Of all the thousands of people who walk into a mall, it would be interesting know how many actually eat there. People often prefer to eat at home because of lack of choice. People in other South Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand eat out way much more than Indians do and here lies a massive opportunity to tap into the market of take out food. Eating out is also an impulse that needs to be made more lucrative for people, as repeat customers are found more in the food court rather than in other purchase areas.

What is also important is to change the psyche of the people eating out. Options will be available but one needs to look out for them. There are several health food choices, which go beyond the salads and juices. There are also Jain vegetarian options, without onions and garlic. When working with consultants who are based in Dubai, one is looking at standards that are state-of-the-art and mind blowing.

For proper functioning you need well-trained personnel and staff. The mall itself needs to provide ISO-certified training to all those outlets that cannot afford or provide individual training to their staff. The training needs to be conducted occasionally and three basic aspects of food safety and hygiene, customer service and sales training must be covered. A review every six weeks is also important in order to check whether the outlets are coping well with the initial teething problems.

Filling up an entire floor worth of space is not an easy task. And considering that one would want to provide all sorts of cuisine, one has to look at a mix of food outlet operators. The mix has to be such that with trademark must-have outlets there is a variation in taste that is also provided. There have to be the traditional players but also local players providing flavours of the region.

It is time that an effort was put into thinking beyond the regular way, out-of-the-box, if one may say so, for the growth of the malls and multiplexes. And taking food one step ahead of what it is right now is important. There is a need to bring in new concepts, which will undoubtedly grow and bear profits in the future.

- As told to Sayoni Bhaduri