As a consequence of the lockdown imposed due to the CoronaVirus, the restaurant business has moved to home delivery in a big way. While Marriott has tied up with Swiggy to provide the distribution of food from Marriott restaurants around India, Taj Hotels has gone a different way, as described first by the General Manager of the Taj Lands End hotel Mr Parveen Chander at the Restoring Confidence in Air Travel virtual seminar moderated by your’s truly.

Now, the Indian Hotels Company, operating under the name Taj Hotels, has announced the launch of Qmin. To start with, Qmin will start with delivering dishes from Taj restaurants in the comfort of your homes, during the first phase of the Qmin launch. Guests can order from eight restaurants in Mumbai, such as the Golden Dragon and Souk from Taj Mahal Palace; Thai Pavilion and Trattoria from President; and Ming Yang from Taj Lands’ End, to name a few. Elaborate menus of each of the restaurant which is offering the service right now are available on Qmin.co.in.

The launch will cover the top ten markets in India including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru etc. over five weeks. For the moment, those who would like to order can call 1800 266 7646 to place their orders.

The Qmin mobile application will be launched on July 25, 2020, followed by the gourmet Qmin Shop in August and the loyalty platform in September. Talking about the announcement, Mr Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) said,

This addition will augment the group’s F&B offerings leveraging a digital platform to address a growing consumer demand for online gourmet food delivery services. Qmin will scale up in the months ahead to include the gourmet Qmin Shop with delicatessen-based food choices. Taj has been home to our guests for more than a century. With the launch of Qmin, we bring Taj to their homes.

Qmin will give guests a delivery experience with an enhanced focus on maintaining stringent protocols of safety and hygiene. This includes contact-less delivery and the mandatory use of protective gear for delivery executives in extremely sanitized vehicles. The packaging will be eco-friendly utilizing bio-degradable materials, and with customized insulation boxes to preserve the food whilst being delivered.

In Mumbai, the first city where the service has been activated, delivery will be made in an 8-kilometre radius from the hotel, and the minimum order needs to be of an order value of INR 1,500. The timings of order seem to be 12:00 to 3:00 PM and 7:00 to 11:00 PM.

Qmin will expand its scope and bring Taj@Home to other cities in the near future. The gourmet Qmin Shop presenting epicurean specialities and authentic artisanal brands will open in August 2020. Qmin will be integrated with the Taj Inner Circle loyalty program in September 2020, where guests can earn and burn points using Qmin services.

Taj is going for a different approach in a crowded world of food delivery. Taj believes that by controlling all aspects of the food chain, they will be able to offer a safer experience than the other guys, which should be in line with their upmarket client base.

What do you think of the Taj Hotels approach to food delivery with the launch of Taj QMin?