Incredible India restaurant manager Gagan Singh (left) and owner Abhinav Batta work their way through the 70 orders on the first night post-lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Incredible India restaurant manager Gagan Singh (left) and owner Abhinav Batta work their way through the 70 orders on the first night post-lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Being off Taupō's main tourist thoroughfare has proved something of a blessing for local restaurant Incredible India.
It means the business, located in the Spa Gate shopping centre, has relied instead on building up a local customer base and it has been that patronage, post-lockdown, that has made the difference.
Incredible India had to close for nearly five weeks during the alert level 4 lockdown and it was a worrying time for owner Abhinav Batta and wife Anshika, who have 11 staff. However, it also presented opportunities.
During the lockdown Abhinav and Anshika kept the Incredible India Facebook page busy with updates and new content, including how-to home cooking videos. Abhinav estimates they spent around three hours a day tending the page and also used it to advise when they were reopening for level 3 takeaways - with the result that they had 70 orders for pickup or delivery when they restarted on April 28.
With in-house dining still banned, alert level 3 presented an opportunity for Incredible India to try new initiatives. Its wait staff became delivery drivers making free Sunday evening deliveries to Kinloch, and Thursday evening deliveries to Broadlands. It also dropped its prices by 5 percent for takeaways and offered free delivery for orders over $30 which Abhinav said was a gesture to thank the community for its support. Little extras like personalised thank you messages on takeaway bags were also a popular touch.
Abhinav says the Kinloch delivery run has been particularly popular, although both have done well, with Reporoa locals driving to the pick-up points at River Rd and Broadlands School to collect their meals. People were craving takeaway food, so on the first evening of deliveries to Kinloch 44 orders were dispatched in three cars. In Reporoa, there were 40 orders. In both cases it has brought the restaurant a new client base.
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"It's just a different way of going out to people," says Abhinav, adding the post-lockdown rush was huge. "It felt like I was working in a call centre for two weeks."
Abhinav says the restaurant had always wanted to do Kinloch deliveries but before Covid-19, there never seemed to be the time to organise it.
He says having to close down for almost all of April was a blow because in 2019 it was their busiest month. He says pivoting to becoming primarily takeaway and delivery was quite a change for a restaurant that offers a fine dining experience and prides itself on service. He hopes that as alert levels drop, more people will venture out to eat in.
"It's been so hard but we are happy with the support we've got since we reopened."
Abhinav admits they were worried during the lockdown about Incredible India and the couple's other business Zest Café. The upside was that lockdown was a rare chance to slow down and enjoy some family time.
"We spent our time with our daughter, she's five next month and since we opened the restaurant [in October 2018] and café we've never had much time with her because I've worked seven days a week for six or seven months."
He says they are grateful for the support and hope other local businesses have felt the love too.
"People say 'what do you think of your competitors?' and I say 'I want them to do good, that keeps us on our toes as well'. I don't want any local businesses to fall down."
