The turmoil in the global economy has led to diversity in people’s career choices. Unemployment and the amount of brain drain have increased. Hopefully, all the fancy and unique ideas like a start-up, cloud kitchen, online shop, creative marketing, online blogging, personal blogging, and data sciences have come up as a crop of e-commerce and new business thinking. Traditional businesses do not lag behind in this continuity. They are also determined to adapt to modernity by keeping tradition. The restaurant seems to be the most advanced sector in the combination of tradition and modernity.
This business, which has been going on for centuries, has changed many times in different ways, taking into account the needs of the customers. Various branches and sub-branches have been formed. Whether it is a carbohydrate-based menu or Protein-based. The current veganism has not been left out either. The main influence in this change was consumer demand. Entrepreneurs have also come up with various tricks to differentiate themselves from others in order to achieve business excellence. The buffet trend is currently going on in the food sector of Bangladesh. This is nothing new, it used to be in a big three-star and five-star restaurant, but it was out of reach for the general public. But the middle class is the biggest consumer class in Bangladesh.
Different strategies have been adopted to make this class popular at different times. Looking back, it can be seen that the beginning in Bangladesh was through thematic restaurants. Such as Train Theme, Cave Theme, Library Theme, Hospital Theme, Sports Theme, Nawabi Theme, Natural Theme, Cart Theme, Jail Theme etc. Their popularity was also demanding for a certain period of time. While the idea of a thematic restaurant is not completely extinct, it has become quite a thing of the past. Coming out of the lighting interior, people started thinking about the quality, quantity, price, etc. of the food. This was followed by a set menu, combo offer etc. For the sake of the food delivery system, it still survives on its own.
The current trend is ‘Buffet’ because of the desire of the middle class to get something good for less money. Restaurant traders have also seized this golden opportunity. Considering the interest of such a large consumer class, they are also offering a buffet for less money keeping in mind the traditional business ploy of selling more at a lower profit. There are also bright interiors and spacious seating arrangements. The biggest selling point of this trend is the abundance of different foods. As a result, customers are able to complete their small family events or corporate meetings at a much lower cost and in a better environment. Needless to say, restaurant owners are not keeping in touch with austerity. They are filling the food containers before they run out. Eating as much as they want, filling the stomach as well as the mind of the consumer, floating in royal pleasure as well as getting food for ‘Value for Money’, what else do they want!
In the aristocratic areas of the capital Dhaka, such restaurants have been built keeping in mind the middle-class people’s demands. The proliferation of such restaurants is noticeable in Khilgaon, Mirpur, Uttara, and Dhanmondi, which are at the peak of popularity. However, there are similar restaurants in Gulshan or Banani, but their prices are a bit high. The price starts from 400Tk per head. There are usually more than 40 food items in this range. Spending 550Tk can give you the advantage to have more than 60 items. The next step is 700Tk and there are more than 100 items available. The attraction is here. With this opportunity to eat so much food at such a low cost, everyone will want to try it at least once.
Now let’s come to the quality of food. According to a survey, about 80 per cent of those who try buffet are satisfied with the quality of their food. Complaints of not getting food or running out are also relatively rare. On the contrary, they are satisfied with almost all the items of starter, main dish and dessert, along with unlimited drinks. There is no shortage of food anywhere. With that, the restaurants certainly deserve praise.
Let’s talk about business strategy. While it may seem easy to make a profit in the food sector, it is not. Keeping the marketing process afloat by managing the availability, source, transportation, processing, decoration, staff salaries, waste management, various types of VAT and charges, maintenance, etc. is a big challenge! Because the restaurants are in elite areas, their floor rent is higher. In this case, the world’s oldest way to reduce costs is to follow low-profit marketing. Also, the more items cook together, the lower the cost is. These restaurants are running their business successfully with various business policies.
Both the owner and the consumer are satisfied with the buffet trend. Keeping pace with the times, this buffet trend has become the centre of interest for not only the upper class but also the middle class. The restaurant owners do not have to look back even after overcoming this difficult time of the pandemic. Besides, consumers are fulfilling their hobbies for a certain amount of money at once. It is much easier to book a seat at a buffet restaurant than to invite guests home and cook hundreds of dishes. So in this food-centric phase of the present era, the triumph of the buffet trend is everywhere.
