As the phase three of the Movement Control Order (MCO) comes to an end, most Malaysians are now getting used to the new realities of working from home and staying at home is the most socially acceptable and almost, a fashionable thing to do.
In Malaysia, where food is life itself, the prospect of not being able to get a fix of our favourite dishes is a daunting one.
Fortunately, with food delivery services such as GrabFood or Beepit, we’re able to eat whatever we want, whenever we want it.
Shifting Demands on Hygiene
Now that consumers are increasingly turning towards home deliveries due to the MCO and Covid-19 cases increasing by the day, many delivery players and QSR chains have announced that they will be practising contactless delivery.
Ninja Van Malaysia country head Adzim Halim said as of now, mandatory temperature checks and hand sanitisers are already in place for its employees.
“Starting from now, we are implementing contactless delivery to add peace of mind to both our parcel recipients and deliverymen. Our customers can request for their parcels to be placed at their doorstep,” he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed forced our local F&B operators to think beyond the four walls of their premises.
Deep Dive into the Indie Scene
We spoke to Andy Ng, Director of FourbyFORE, an independent F&B operator that owns Foremula, Forebidden and Therefore under its belt.
After a long stint with Forefront as the Head of Digital, Andy followed his passion in food and coffee and went ahead to start the group’s first cafe Foremula.
When asked, Ng said that the maiden outlet of the group of cafes mainly serves the Malaysian palates, with some expatriate communities nearby as well. Regular customers are attracted to the quality food it serves at a modest price point.
Health and Safety
With hygiene and food safety being at the forefront of Malaysian consumers’ minds, contactless delivery is now one of the main criteria of food-delivery app rating to ensure the health and safety of both driver and consumer.
“During the MCO, we enforced strict measures in regards to our workflow and processes, we make sure that our staff are fully equipped with masks and sanitiser, so our customers can still enjoy our food without worrying too much” said Ng responding to how ForebyFour ensure safe distancing and hygiene at its workplace.
He then added that only 30 to 50 per cent of staff is allowed to work on every shift to ensure safe distancing within the premises.
Innovate or Die
It is evident that the MCO has completely changed consumer behaviours and demand for product and services, with food being the most apparent.
“We’re always finding new ways to work and sell better, amongst them were price reductions as a form of promo, meal catering plans, as well as in-house delivery services,” shared Ng.
Sanity Sanitary
Other than staying healthy by ensuring balanced nutrition intake, mental health is easily one of the most discussed topics during the MCO period.
When asked how he ensures his mental well-being during these trying times, Ng shared candidly, “One thing that keeps me sane is my coffee, other than that, I also play with food by experimenting with flavours. Pretty much food and coffee!”
#KitaJagaKita
Speaking about the realities of running a cafe business, Andy quipped, “Business is still business, any disruption to F&B business would subject ourselves to mounting overhead being unpaid. One needs strong cash flow for such a challenge and that’s lacking in the local F&B scene.
“I hope all Malaysians can support local and homegrown F&B businesses especially now, by ordering in more. Being a homegrown F&B brand, that promotes Malaysian flavours in our inventions, one of our key agendas is to bring Malaysians closer.”
Will our local F&B heroes survive these challenging times?
We Malaysians should play a bigger role other than just supporting by ordering in now and again.
The most important thing to do is to stay at home, flatten the curve together, so we can get out of MCO as early as possible.
For now, we just have to dine together, apart.
