The word itself explains that a restaurant where the food is being taken away from the restaurant like a packed food which the consumer would like to take back to their home or anywhere rather than eating at the restaurant. It also includes an online order of food which has been in trend and mostly preferred by the consumers due to their busy schedule.
What is a Takeaway Restaurant?
Takeaway Restaurant is a rising demand ever since the outbreak of Covid -19 pandemic due to the reason that people are choosing to stay at home and order food. Therefore, even normal restaurants are converting to takeaway restaurant.
The best thing about the takeaway restaurants are that the owner does not have to invest more in setting up the infrastructure or fancy environment nice enough to attract people. And therefore, a takeaway restaurant can be setup in a low investment and within a less time.
Important Guidelines to Open a Takeaway Restaurant
However, opening a takeaway restaurant has many benefits but it has to abide by several regulations as has been laid by the sole authority FSSAI[1]. It is so that the safety and security of the food used by the restaurant and the conditions under which it is prepared is guaranteed by the authority and that customers can trust the restaurant. Before that few things which the restaurant owner needs to deal with before opening a takeaway restaurant are:
Location
The location of the takeaway restaurant decides the most significant factor which is dependent on the accessibility of the customers to the restaurant.
If the restaurant is located in a densely populated area or a place which is a students or office hub then it will give a beneficial result to the restaurant. The Restaurant owner has to keep the target audience in mind. Front location and Ground floor shops are preferred for Takeaways.
Concept and type of Restaurant
The concept about the type of restaurant is the basis of opening a takeaway restaurant. Deciding about the kind of restaurant is one of the major criteria which determines the success or failure of the restaurant.
The owner has to be vigilant and aware about the kind of restaurants already working in the given location. If the owner wants to open with non vegetarian delivery service then the owner should ensure himself that he don’t have to battle with several other business running nearby.
The amount of capital for investment is also one of the major concepts the owner has to decide. The takeaway restaurant owner should have an idea about the Average Price per Customer (APC) and the average amount of money customers would spend in his restaurant.
License and Certification
This is the most essential requirement before running a takeaway restaurant that it should obtain the necessary certificate and make sure that the restaurant is a legal one. The types of licenses required are given below:-
FSSAI license
The execution of FSSAI Rule is done by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India headquartered in New Delhi. FSSAI License makes sure that the food used by the takeaway restaurant is secure and usage of safe food products is available for human consumption.
Therefore, it lays down norms of safety standards in order to regulate the storing, production, manufacturing and distribution of the food products. So, FSSAI is responsible to promote public health and keep a regular check to ensure that the running takeaway restaurants have registered with FSSAI.
GST Registration
The active businesses have to pay certain taxes for continuing with the business. GST registration is an essential requirement for the business falling under GST criteria. It falls under two categories i.e. the business providing goods with the annual turnover above 20 lakhs and the business who gives services with a turnover of rupees 40 lakhs annually have to register itself under GST.
Fire license
Approval of fire NOC provided by the fire department must be there when the restaurant is such that it involves any kind of product which is likely to cause fire while starting with the business.
Shop and Establishment License
This is a compulsory requirement for the owner of the shop to get a Shop and Establishment license before starting up with the takeaway restaurant.
Certificate of Environmental clearance
A restaurant is legally bound to confirm with the Ministry of Environment that its operations are not causing any kind of risk or hazard to the environment and hence it is obligatory for them to get the Certificate of Environmental Clearance.
Staff requirement
One of the reasons behind successful running of takeaway restaurant is the quick service provided by it. Therefore, the selection of the team of staff is very crucial step. The chef and the delivery staff both has to adhere to their skill requirement. Because a takeaway restaurant with a delicious cook and fast service can be the biggest reason of a successful restaurant.
Design a Food Menu
The presentation and design of a food menu is very important to attract customers. The division of the food items into different categories makes it easy for the customer to find exactly what they are looking for. A neatly designed menu can make a wonderful impact on takeaway restaurant’s food and cost of food.
Marketing of the Takeaway Restaurant
The proper marketing can bring more and more customers to the restaurant. Therefore, marketing methods like tried and tested and use of pamphlets are cheap and has proved to be the best one.
An attractive logo designing, a fancy billboard and excellent quality paper pamphlets can create a good image of the restaurant in the market and can attract larger audience.
Getting listed with Food Aggregators
Listing the takeaway restaurant with the food aggregators like Zomato, Swiggy, etc is also one of the excellent ways to get initial gearing up of the business.
Conclusion
There is a lot of demand for takeaway restaurant nowadays. People prefer not going to a public place due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and therefore they look for takeaway restaurants. Eventually it is the good quality food, hygiene essentials and neat and tidy package of the food which can make a successful takeover restaurant. Moreover, registration of the restaurants with the FSSAI acts as goodwill and guarantees the quality of the food.
Therefore, it is necessary before starting a restaurant that it has registered itself with the FSSAI and has obtained the license and is strictly adhering with the requirements and guidelines. The owner of the restaurant should make sure that the staff is serving and working with a bonafide interest of the business and has similar aim as that of the owner. At the same time the owner must make sure to serve every customer the good quality of food keeping in mind the guidelines of FSSAI and ensuring safe consumption of food for safeguarding public health and life.
Read our article: FSSAI Restrain Licensing Authorities from Demanding Immaterial Documents from FBOs
