Key learnings from 2021:

The F&B industry has long been characterised by unpredictability and transformation. Although trends come and go, the key for Mad Over Donuts has always been about staying firm as a core principle, which allows the brand to innovate mindfully. As hard as it is to consider, it's been a little more than a year since the world came to a sudden halt. The pandemic’s impact on life and business is too massive to fit in numbers or words. Every second industry has been a victim and the F&B industry, too, adds a major chunk to the statistics.

While embracing the ‘new normal,’ we have started getting ‘comfortable with the uncomfortable.’ Our company has been resorting to new and forward-thinking experimental strategies to keep up with the constantly altering market dynamics. Even though the blow to the business and the F&B space at large has been challenging enough, there are some key takeaways, learnings and highlights of the year 2021 that has shaped the way we managed to outperform in the market. In a bid to stay safe and sane in times to come and to solidify our future industry hold in the food and beverage landscape, MOD is all set to be more agile and innovative.

Here are the biggest learnings both from the personal and professional fronts that we as a brand are being responsive in order to course-correct quickly as per the demand of the situation:

Consider picking up an additional skill to thrive in the ever-changing business landscape: The biggest takeaway for working individuals to stay afloat is to keep upskilling and multi-skilling. Our company has been making efforts to upskill our employees to make them competent enough to handle diverse tasks and portfolios at the same time. By following a people-first approach, the company has been brushing employee skills alongside helping them to pick up a different one too if need be. We have always recognised our talent and constantly appreciate our team, in a bid to keep their morale high. Since change in any situation is constant, keeping a step ahead at all times is the key to emerging as an enabler in the market. In order to lessen the risk in case unexpected times like these return, MOD has started having "fall-back" plans and backups in place.

PERSONAL

Family comes first:?

Work-life balance should never be a myth. The importance of spending quality time with our family and loved ones by caring, listening, and respecting them is now more evident than ever. Days in lockdown did offer us an opportunity to mend the connection with our families that was somehow lost due to our demanding schedules. The pandemic has enabled us to reinvent ways of exploring our immediate environment by making the most of what we already have.

Personal health is at the centre stage:?

One of the chief personal reflections born out of the grimness of 2021 is the significance to keep one’s well-being in check. Be it mental or physical health, it is significant to engage in some activity that continuously stimulates your mind and body positively. It's uncertain times like these that act as reminders to keep our wellness and wealth in line.

Pick up a hobby:?

Hobbies have an important role to play in stress relief.?It's important to keep your brain running and the foremost way to charge it is with conversations and learning new things like engaging yourself in innovative activities. Pick up a book, a recipe, or a game, and stick to it. Spending time on an activity that you enjoy doing can boost your mental health and wellbeing, lessen bouts of anxiety and can make you feel more relaxed.

PROFESSIONAL

Be factual with your employees:?

This learning lies at the heart of resilient leadership. At a time where the demand for clear workplace communication is at a premium, it has been researched that employees are not speaking-up enough. Hence being factual with employees and creating a culture of recognition will help create a workplace atmosphere that makes it easy for employees to voice their opinion.

Technological innovation that set MOD apart:?

Innovations in the form of technological advancements have presently proved to be a game-changer for any business. I believe that staying competitive in the restaurant landscape requires near continuous innovation. Cost reduction, increasing profits and optimizing workflows are the key factors that accelerate our brands growth. We encourage digital coupons, contactless ordering, digital billing to be one of the most feasible and valuable prospects in our digital marketing mix that have been helping us to achieve not only more orders but more customers and a better return on investment.

Future proofing business has become a pre-requisite:?

One approach for F&B sectors to curtail in-house analysis valuation is to start with a top-down strategy and to emphasize on easy wins. The appropriate tools aid in visualizing where exactly do the inefficiencies lay in your system and easily point out the measures you will need to take. Recognizing the operational inadequacies is the primary step in optimizing your assets amid these challenging times. The subsequent step now is to develop robust asset management solutions, tailor-fitted to your situation.

Reconfiguring the business model through expansion plans:?

Diversification has been one of our key business strategies.?Going forward, we have been working towards adding more stores to our existing geographies alongside tapping prospective markets to ensure a decent footfall. In the forthcoming months, we plan to roll out more outlets, quicker with a target to increase overall reach and awareness and maintain a positive P&L.?

Digital delivery features like embracing dark kitchen formats have spurred growth:??

Driven by a rising consumer desire for restaurant-quality fresh food, technology has played a vital role in expanding our footprint using cloud kitchen format. With an aim to scale up in a cost-efficient manner and to enlarge our footprint from the offline presence, we have tied up with cloud kitchen providers, offering the basic infrastructure needed for preparing the food and packaging it for deliveries without the need of having a physical store. This model has helped us strengthen our hold and reach out to our target audience in multiple markets, thus contributing to the company’s overall sales.

Mad Over Donuts will maintain these values in innovation, even post the pandemic has gone. The point being, the technological advancements that sprung out of COVID 19 are not a one-time fix. Considering the multiplying of things like curbside pick-ups, cloud kitchens, and an increase in out-of-premise consumption, the upcoming year will be the time to learn, re-learn, forget, refine and re-emerge while catering to user requisites, just as restaurants always have.