ITC Grand Central is known for its eclectic food and indigenous experiences. While the team at the hotel had been preparing food for takeout and delivery through the pandemic, they found themselves missing meetings and chatting with these guests.

So the team at the hotel recreated the experience online through a virtual chef’s table. This was an idea to keep the guests engaged while their restaurants are closed to dine-in guests.

To celebrate the recently launched responsible dining initiative Gourmet Couch, a menu from their signature menus, Chef Paul Noronha and Amit Kumar, GM of the hotel, and his team virtually led a group of guests that were regulars to their specialty restaurants. A three-course meal hamper of Gourmet Couch was delivered to customer’s homes on the evening of the event and guests were instructed to reheat the food by a heating manual.

Once all diners logged on, Master Chef Jia & Chef Sameer Gupta demonstrated a few dishes from the menu as a live cooking demo. There were a total of 12 participants on the call including the hotel team.

Speaking about the occasion Kumar says, “Being able to see some of the guests that I usually see every other week or every month, it was great, even though it’s through a camera and a screen. If customers can’t come to us we will bring ITC Grand Central to them."

One of the guests on the virtual dining table, Roxxanne Bamboat shares, “It was a new experience and well planned and executed. Staying close to the hotel I am a regular to their restaurants but I was missing visiting them during the lockdown. The food hamper was luxuriously done, containers were biodegradable and I was not feeling guilty of discarding them, ITC is known for their responsible luxury and that was evident in the food delivered to us. The hygiene and wellness part was taken care of by the ITC hotel’s team. The delivery boy was fully equipped in proper PPE. When we were on the call, Executive Chef Paul Noronha shared about the path-breaking initiative “We Assure” by ITC Hotels in detail. I think the team at ITC has taken the new normal to the next level by hosting such a great conceptual virtual dinner.”

Another guest Trupti Marolia shared, “I broke my 100 days fast of not eating out only because I have trust in their hygiene quality. The chef shared that they have a microbiology lab where food and raw material get tested at the lab for quality and hygiene purposes before reaching the kitchen. I am happy that some brands are going the extra mile to ensure their customers’ safety.  This experience was truly reassuring.”