Food is an integral part of our daily lives. The term “foodie” is used pretty frivolously nowadays.
But enjoying a meal doesn’t mean that you are a foodie. For a foodie, food is an experience.
Now, what is the journey of a food enthusiast? How is his perspective different from a normal person? Or what are the factors one should keep in mind before opening a food business?
To help out our fellow entrepreneurs we have come up with a brand new series “I Am…”
In this series, we give a first person’s perspective for different businesses.
Today we will hear the journey from…A Foodie.
A foodie is a person who has refined & ardent interest in food.
It is not just for hunger, I savor every meal to its last bit. A little difference in taste or texture can be detected by me.
But one thing that I need to make clear is that I am not from the food industry, like a chef, wine taster or anything. I just love to try different foods at different restaurants. And I believe that I am passionate about food more than anything else in the world.
The difference between a normal person & me you ask?
I would say there is a basic six-point difference between us. You know you are a foodie when:
· You can recommend restaurants on local cuisine. Not just Chinese or Mughlai…you know the local food of a place.
· You know the local ingredients in food.
· You don’t need the waiter to explain the whole menu to you.
· You try new cuisine every time.
· You have a “best of” list longer than 5 options.
· You are the go-to person among your friends for any restaurant, stall or menu options.
Now that I have made some sense about being a foodie, let’s dive into my journey.
I know being a foodie is someone’s innate perspective but I have been doing active food hoping over 5 years now. Literally half of my salary goes into restaurant hopping & food orders!
In my 5 years of experience, I have seen that my interest lies in three major areas.
The first is:
Social Media:
You might think about Swiggy, Zomato or other food apps but for me, I go beyond food apps.
For me, Instagram is a major source when ordering food at home. I love to try small, independent food delivery businesses.
One of my favorite is small cupcake shops. For instance, one of my favorite is 21B- A Dessert Co.
It is a small Kolkata based home-bakery shop with unique creativity!
I can spend hours on these pages & try to find some new innovative cuisine to try.
Like when I traveled to Goa, I went to a small home-bakery, Jila Bakery. It is a unique home bakery run by the 2nd generation of Antao family.
The recipes were secret but the coconut cookies & butter-caramel cake were to die for!
For me what sells for these businesses is their distinctiveness, presentation & authenticity. Presentation is extremely important as I am only trusting my judgment on the basis of what I see.
Next comes…
Local Food Stall or Food Trucks
To be honest, the food truck is still not a thing in India. But it is quickly growing!
For a food stall, the aspect that very serves for me is its availability & budget.
So if you are someone who is thinking about opening a truck or a stall, make sure you are near to your targeted crowd. And of course, pocket-friendly!
Food stalls are generally for a quick grab. People won’t pay 500 bucks on a food stall. Also, it needs to be quick.
The worst experience while buying from a food truck is that I have to wait for 40 mins to get my food! The quicker the better.
Also, I would love if a food stall near my house sells food that is preferred by the neighborhood. For instance, most of us in Kolkata loves to have a roll, a sandwich, or chops & pakodas in the evening. And almost 50% of the office-goers travel through the metro.
So, any metro station in my city is bustling with snack corners in the evening. From sandwich to momos, rolls, chats, pakodas you name it & it is there within Rs. 60 to 70!
Now comes the finale…
Restaurant Hopping
For me, restaurant hopping is a totally different experience!
I do my research well before I decide to try a new dish at a new restaurant. I go through their website (if they have any), I go through their social media page or ask someone’s opinion.
I often take other foodie friends with me to have a nice chat about the experience.
The first thing that sells for me is their social media handle. Listings & great ratings on Swiggy or Zomato is great, but it always helps if the restaurant has their website or Instagram account.
After I visit a restaurant, the second thing that matters the most is the ambiance. Yes, I know it may sound clichéd but a good ambiance, warm welcome definitely enhances your experience.
I try to figure out what kind of vibe suits the place- a perfect date night, a casual hangout place, a family dinner, a small private party, etc.
The food is the grand event, of course. The smell, quality, presentation everything matters.
So for someone new in the food business must take everything into consideration. Even if you have a limited budget or you may not be a sophisticated dinner restaurant, your behavior, ambiance, presentation can up your game.
I often have an amazing warm experience in a small new restaurant. Whereas I have had a horrible experience in a chic classy dinner!
I hope the article helped you to get some idea if you are getting into the food industry.
In the end, food is subjective. What may matter to me may not matter to you! But having some quality experience purely from a food enthusiast’s view might earn you some new perspectives!
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