changing food trends of the people in chennai
TRANSCRIPT
CHANGING FOOD TRENDS OF THE
PEOPLE IN CHENNAI
INTRODUCTION
The new food trends are numerous in Chennai, & are a very fascinating
research topic. The Chennai people are slowly adapting themselves to the
international food standards. These new food standards have resulted in the
development of a whole new variety of restaurants all over Chennai, each
specializing in its own styles. Each of these restaurants has their own styles
& hence, set new trends. A very detailed study into these restaurants would
hence be very elaborate & time consuming. Hence, I have summarized all
the food trends into specific categories & highlighted elaborated on the
fastest growing trends.
Each of the food trends I have depicted will have an introduction about
itself, why the trend is so popular, how it is growing & some of the
restaurants & food outlets that have adopted the trend. I have gathered
information from different kinds of outlets through questionnaires & hence, I
hope to be accurate in my project conclusion & discussions. Also, the
information’s on Chennai outlets & trends have been gathered from internet
& physical research.
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Hence, the project will provide an insight in Chennai’s food outlets, their
specialties & educate the reader on the trends & in-demand products &
services. The world is moving at a fast pace & Chennai, being a hi-tech
south Indian city, is always busy & bustling. Hence, people do not find time
to dine in luxury. Everything is fast & that is the reason fast foods & food
courts, which I have chosen as my primary trends which are gaining more
importance. Also, people these days do not find time to shop, buy fresh
ingredients, prepare & serve themselves. This is the reason ready-made
ingredients have gained more importance over fresh foods.
Consumers also have started thinking about their health. Hence, they
carefully scrutinize the food composition before ordering the food. This is
the reason why the organic food trend has gained importance in the recent
times. Also, hotels & restaurants conduct food festivals & theme lunches,
which attract a lot of people since the Chennai people get a glimpse of other
cultures & satisfy their taste buds with the delicacies of other places. That is
the reason why food festivals & theme lunches have gained more
importance.
IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC
The world of today is ever changing, with major changes in everyday life &
so many twists & turns that cannot be counted. It is imperative hence, for
people to be the best in the field in order to survive since only the fittest in
industry will do so.
By researching on this topic, I hope to find & impart to the best to my
efforts, knowledge of the consumer’s life styles, their trends & the changing
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habits of everyday so that any person in the field can refer & update
him/herself in the present trend. Also, the research on this topic will provide
an insight to the world of consumer behavior towards various hospitality
food practices & help the industry predict the future trends.
This research topic will help any food & beverage outlet plan their menu
better & incase of a new outlet, the theme & décor can also be designed
such. This topic will make aware the people of the food & beverage industry
about the consumer awareness of the various products which are available.
Through this topic, I hope to give an edge to any person interested in
researching the food habits of the Chennai people.
This research topic, on a wider scale, will help supermarkets plan their
products according to the consumer liking & the present trends. Any
consumer reading this project can also become aware about the current
situation & the advantages of it so that they may go for a healthier lifestyle.
Overall, this project aims at providing a thorough overview of the changing
trends of the food habit in Chennai so that anyone interested can vest & gain
knowledge through this project & it helps consumer in developing their
knowledge of food & last but not the least, helps everyone improve their
knowledge on food quality & its effects.
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Aim & Objective
To research on Chennai’s changing food trends & learn the new trends in
food habits of he people.
To provide an insight about Chennai’s recent food trends
To research on the food trends & find out its reasons of gaining
importance.
To give a detailed report on the changing food trends of the people in
Chennai.
Reasons:
The reasons for choosing this topic are that – the food industry in Chennai is
tremendously growing & everyday new changes & trends are happening in
all food outlets.
Chennai had never heard of fast foods ten year back, but now it is one of the
leading food outlets in Chennai.
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Food courts have grown almost at an unimaginable pace & Chennai boasts
many food courts within a span of three years.
Many other factors cause changes & set new trends in Chennai’s food
industry. Through research I hope to find, why food trends are fast growing
& changing frequently.
Scope:
This topic deals with the changing food trends in Chennai food
outlets.
This topic will provide information about the changing food trends,
the reasons for their success & development.
This project merely covers the changing trends in restaurants & other
outlets, but not in non-commercial kitchens or other non-profitable
institutions.
This project will provide thorough knowledge to readers about various
restaurants changing trends & their reasons for adopting the latest
trends.
Methodology:
Recent trends were ascertained through questionnaires from
different outlets.
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The recent were chaptered.
Research was done on each of the trends.
A detailed study was gathered on each trend & they were
summarized for the ease of understanding.
The chapters were further researched on to find reasons for the
success of the food trends.
All the gathered information were combined into a rough copy
& several times discussed with the project guide. The rough
draft was then compiled into a fair copy.
Limitations:
When the research was started on the topic “Changing food
trends of the people in Chennai”, there were a lot of immediate
barriers.
The project work does not involve any financial
implementation.
Time factor was another limitation.
Since the topic dealt with recent food trends, I required latest
information. Therefore only physical research & questionnaires
were the sources of information.
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Sources of data:
Secondary data:
The information for this project was collected through questionnaire
feedbacks form various food outlets & through physical research. Further
information was collected from daily newspapers, magazines, journals,
media & internet.
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Research technique adopted:
This project was done meticulous study & research.
The technique adopted was:
Questionnaires were given to different food outlets & based upon their
feed backs, the trends were decided.
Once the trends were confirmed, internet, newspaper & media were
searched for some quality information on the topic.
These topics were then summarized & edited to suit the project & new
information’s were added from time to time.
These were combined together & the project was compiled.
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Summary of chapters
Chapter 1: Chennai Cuisines & Restaurants
The chapter deals with the traditional cuisines of Chennai & the restaurants
in Chennai, who have their own specialties & act as the trend setter in
Chennai. It is from these restaurants that our food trend categories were
derived & hence, they are the basic source.
Chapter 2: Combo Meal Trend & Central Delivery Unit
This chapter deals with the fast growing combo meal trend in food outlets of
Chennai & the future expected trend of central delivery unit, which
organizes all kinds of food & delivers it to the consumers in package.
Chapter3: Food Courts
The fastest growing trend in Chennai, this chapter does an in depth study
about the food courts in Chennai & their reasons for gaining more
importance. Also discussed are a few food courts in Chennai & the type of
outlets they contain.
Chapter4: Ready Made Foods & Vegetarianism
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This chapter deals with two of the rising food trends, which are yet to gain
importance, but are definite trends in the future food industry.
The ready made foods deal with the Chennai products which are available
on the market & why they have gained importance.
The vegetarianism concept deals with the types of vegetarians, why the
concept has gained more importance & its effects.
Chapter5: Fast Foods
A major trend setter in the Chennai food industry, fast food concept has
grown the fastest & has established itself everywhere in Chennai
This chapter deals with the fast food types in Chennai, their importance,
their significance & why they have gained importance.
Also discussed in this chapter are the fast food effects on health & the
ongoing controversies in the field of fast foods.
Chapter6: Dieting
Many of the IT professionals have the burning fitness problem. The work is
sedentary & the fitness factor is non-existent.
Hence, dieting has become a trend in Chennai & also a burning issue. This
trend has been discussed in detail in this chapter.
Chapter7: Food Festivals, Organic Foods & Online Food Services.
Three trends with bright future prospects in Chennai, the food festivals
which deal with culture & cuisine, the organic foods that deals with natural,
fresh foods & online food services which the consumers find most
comfortable to order food has also been discussed in this chapter.
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Chapter8: Other Trends
This trend with two food trends in Chennai, which have been existing for
some time, but have gained importance in recent times.
Buffet has gained importance since consumers get more cuisines to taste,
while canned foods have gained importance due to their storage periods.
CHENNAI INTRODUCTION
Chennai, formerly known as Madras, ishe capital of the southern state of
Tamil Nadu in India, and is the country's fourth-largest city. It is located on
the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population
of 7.45 million (2005), the 367 year old city is the 34th largest metropolitan
area in the world.
Madras was founded in 1639 when the company (Represented by Francis
Day and Andrew Cogan and aided by a local Translator (AKA Dubash) Beri
Thimappa) was granted land to build a trading settlement by the local ruler
(Nayak) of the suburb of Vandavasi, Damerla Venkatapathy Nayak. The
document of the land grant is dated Aug 22nd 1639 and hence Madras
celebrates its Birthday on Aug 22nd each year as Madras day. Madras was
one of the first outposts of British East India Company. Colonel William
Lambton, superintendent of the great Trigonometrical Survey of India,
started his journey of triangulating India from St. Thomas Mount. The
British built Fort St. George (today the legislative and administrative seat of
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the state). Fort St George was completed on St George's day in 1640(April
23rd) and hence was named after the Patron Saint. George Town then
developed becoming the modern city of Madras, absorbing several nearby
boroughs. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles is associated with Chennai.
He is said to have come to India as an evangelist and died in what is now
Chennai. Two suburbs, Santhome and St. Thomas Mount, are named in his
memory.
In 1996, the Tamil Nadu government renamed Madras to Chennai providing
the reason that 'Chennai' was the city's traditional name while Madras was
one derived during colonial rule. The reason for this name change is
somewhat ambiguous as by no means clear that "Madras" is of foreign
origin.
Culture
Chennai, being the capital of Tamil Nadu, is home to a host of Tamil culture
art forms including dance, literature, sculpture, music and cinema. The
season for Bharatnatyam and Carnatic Music draws visitors and aficionados
from the world over. Being the capital of Tamil Nadu, the preferred
language of communication amongst the local population is Tamil.
However, English is widely spoken as the language of commerce and hence
visitors should have no problem getting around. The city also has a fair
number of people that speak Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.
Climate
Chennai has mainly two seasons - summer and monsoon. It does not enjoy
the south-west monsoon, but gets its bountiful rains from the north-east
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monsoon from October through December, thus amounting to about 125-150
cm of rainfall annually. December to February are the mildest months
temperature-wise. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year
because the city is on the coast. Summers are very hot and humid.
By plane
Chennai International Airport (IATA: MAA) is the forth busiest in India. All
international flights arrive at Anna Terminal, while the domestic flights
arrive at Kamraj Terminal. The two terminals are on the same road and are
150 meters away from each other.
Talk
Tamil is the official language in Chennai, and is very popular. Almost all
people speak Tamil, and picking up some knowledge of the language is
useful to get by in Chennai. English education is widespread in Chennai,
thanks to an excellent network of well-known schools throughout the city.
Most educated people in Chennai can speak English. In most schools, the
medium of instruction and communication is English. All important
signboards are in English.
Do
During summers it becomes too hot and humid to venture out during the
day. So go out for a stroll during the night (7-9pm) on the Marina beach and
Elliots Beach (Besant Nagar). It's a nice idea to pack dinner and have a
picnic on the beach as most locals do. If you happen to drive a car you can
also consider taking along a few foldable chairs. Beyond 10pm, no one is
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permitted to be on the beach. There are policemen on the beach to ensure
people follow this rule, and on some occasions they tend to shoo people out
by 9pm.
Stroll along the over crowded Pondy Bazaar and Ranganathan Street and try
your skills in bargaining for stuff and knick-knacks. Be warned that it is an
intensely crowded place, where you have elbow your way through.
However, if you do enjoy local flavour in all its madness, you must visit
these two places.
Music and Dance
Chennai is famous for its concerts and performances that take place in
various auditoriums and temples throughout the year, which are announced
in the Hindu and other local newspapers. During the Tamil month of
Maargazhi (December - January) there is a series of classical Carnatic
music concerts and classical dance performances in various parts of the city,
but the best are organized in various Sabhas (loosely translates to "concert
house"). You will see mostly older celebrities, although occasionally there
will be some world-class young virtuosos.
Learn
Chennai has literally dozens of different insitutes of higher learning from
arts to engineering. The city also offers plenty of opportunities to learn
Yoga, Bhartanatyam, Carnatic music and The Bhagavad Gita.
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Eat
Tamil Nadu is famous for its hospitality and its deep belief that serving food
to others is a service to humanity, so eating-out in its capital city Chennai, is
a great experience and provides a glimpse of the unique lifestyle of the city.
CHENNAI, INDIAN CUISINE.
A Tiffin or Light meal is served for breakfast or as a snack. The staple diet
for most of the population is rice. These Tiffin items are usually one or more
rice based dishes like idli, dosai, pongal, vadai along with with coconut
chutney, sambar and mulagapodi. Tiffin is usually accompanied by hot filter
coffee, the signature beverage of the city.
A typical Tamil meal (Lunch or Dinner) will be served on a banana leaf. It
consists of steamed rice served with about two to six vegetable dishes like
sambar, dry curry, rasam, kootu along with curd and buttermilk. For a non-
vegetarian meal, curries or dishes cooked with mutton, chicken or fish are
included. Meals are often accompanied by crisp appalams. After a final
round of rice and curds or buttermilk or both, a traditional meal is concluded
with a small banana and a few betel leaves and nuts.
An Indian meal in fast food restaurants is called 'Thali'. It’s usually served
on a round tray made of either stainless steel or Silver, with a selection of
different dishes in small bowls. While North Indian Thali starts with Pooris,
Chappattis(Rotis), South Indian Thali comes with rice. The rest of the items
like different Curries, Sweet and other miscellaneous items (Applams,
Papad, Pickles and Beeda) is similar for both North Indian and South Indian
Talis. Thalis sometimes go even by the regional characteristic of the items
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they have. For example one may encounter Rajasthani thali or Gujarati thali.
In some restaurants, a thali may include "bottom-less" refills on all
components of food; the idea is that one eats until fully satisfied. Such thalis
are referred to as 'unlimited' thalis. In some places the term means that
everything in the plate excepting a few items like the sweet preparation or
dahi wada is open to unlimited helpings.
Restaurants near Music Academy and those on the Beach coast are well
maintained and serve 'Indian Cuisine' with an ambience to match, while
most others cater South Indian Cuisine at very reasonable prices. Usually the
check includes a service charge, written next to 'S.C.' if no service charge is
added; it is customary to leave a moderate tip.
Local Specialities - Soft Drinks
Fruitshop on Greams Road, Chain of fresh fruit juice retailers, outlets in
Greams Road,
Kilpauk, Besant Nagar, Spencers Plaza, Gatsby Village (ECR), BPCL Bunk,
Meenambakkam, BPCL Bunk, Nungambakkam, Shanti Colony (Anna
nagar)
Tender Coconut Definitely tries a tender coconut on a hot summer's day.
Available on roadside stalls at Rs.15 a coconut.
NeerMoar Spicy butter milk, with local seasoning, available at most South
Indian restaurants.
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Get out
Even as recently as about ten years ago, the ECR, which was then known as
the New Mahabalipuram Road, had nothing much to offer by way of
entertainment, except for VGP Golden Beach and Romulus Whittaker's
crocodile bank. Further down, the road led you to Mahabalipuram, and that
was that.
The scenario that meets a traveller today is entirely different. The East Coast
Road could very well be termed the entertainment highway of Chennai. The
road is brand new, flanked by the sea on the left and dotted with amusement
spots through the entire stretch. Driving down ECR is an experience.
EATING OUT IN CHENNAI
For excellent vegetarian meals try, the Saravanaa Bhavan Chain. You can go
for clean inexpensive self-service restaurants to up market swanky outlets.
Vasanta Vihar at Rajaji Salai serves same vegetarian food and good strong
South Indian coffee. Get good dosas from Bhoopathy café located opposite
the station.
Udipi Home Mathsya serves excellent vegetarian home style cooking from a
varied menu. Go for delectable south Indian cuisine at Ceylon restaurant
located inside Hotel Regal.
Ananda Bhavan at Triplicane High Road serves luscious banana-leaf thalis
and excellent dosas.
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Mathura Restaurant at Tarapore Tower Anna Salai is an excellent up market
vegetarian restaurant.
Go for multi cuisine restaurant at Food Plaza with air-conditioned and open-
air seating located at Anna Salai.
Only Veg at 82, Anna Salai does tasty snacks and juices.
The Gallopin'Gooseberry serves American and Italian cuisine and exotic
range of juices.
The restaurant at New Woodlands Hotel is popular with the locals for dosas,
tandoori and milk sweets. Palki across the road offers north Indian
specialities.
Coconut Lagoon has excellent Goan and Kerala fare.
Roomallee at Mylapore provides an outdoor barbecue with Hyderabadi
dishes.
Kabul located at TTK Road specializes in Northwestern frontier food like
biryanis, tandoori items and kebabs. The Pinnacle rooftop restaurant at Hotel
Ranjith is very popular.
Cascade at Khader Nhawaz Khan Road serves huge portions of good-quality
Chinese, Malaysian and Thai food. The sound of water cascading down like
a waterfall creates a pleasant ambience. Chinese vases and plates they use
reflect the Oriental connection. They also serve seafood, favorite with the
regulars.
Sangeetha at MG Road offers one of the biggest menus in town.
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The Red E Food Court located at Harrington Road dishes out Indian,
Chinese, Mexican and Western dishes. There is a buffet special on Sundays
called the 'Brunch' - from 12 noon to 3:30 pm. There are theme parties and
birthday packages. In addition, combo offers specifically for corporates from
11:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare is
available at all counters.
For coffee-lovers, Barista at Kadar Nawaz Road serves good espresso coffee
with wide range of sandwiches and muffins.
Beach Castle Restaurant at Elliot's Beach has become a food court with
pizza, Chinese and kebabs being served.
Chennai's only revolving restaurant, Carnival Heights is a multicuisine
rooftop restaurant. The capsule lift, that takes you to the restaurant, gives
you a panoramic view of the traffic on Poonamallee High Road.
Kwality Riviera and Aditya are two restaurants offering generic North
Indian/Punjabi fare located at Adyar. For vegetarians and those who like a
taste of the South, Adyar has some good south Indian vegetarian places.
Ramprasad in Kasturba Nagar is a reasonable place for standard South
Indian fare like thalis and idlis and dosas and vadas.
First Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, just behind the Bus Terminus a little
way up from Food World is Kumarokam a proper Kerala place with
everything from Puttu, Fish Moilee, Appams, Karimeen Fry and so on.
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Next to, it in the basement below Nuts and Spices is Mr. G's that serves
pastas and burgers, soups and salads. On Lattice Bridge Road are two
restaurants - Usilampatti serving chettinad style food and above it, Jus'
Parathas serving every possible type of stuffed paratha.
Dhaba Express on Cenotaph Road has a good vegetarian lunch buffet that is
great value for money. Opposite Dhaba Express is the new Cornucopia
serving European style food, salads and soups including Cous-Cous and the
like. The largest number of restaurants though, in terms of density, is on
TTK Road.
About half a kilometer from Park Sheraton Hotel, on TTK Road itself is a
new Thai restaurant called Benjarong (Five Colours - Pancharanga). The
food is great and authentic Thai since they fly in most of their ingredients,
the interior decoration is lovely, and the tables have vases with real orchids.
As you go further up Cathedral Road on the right are three restaurants - Don
Pepe, Copper Chimney and China Town. The first serves Mexican &
Spanish food along with some 'Euro-Mex" combos. Its good value for
money & their platters are very nice. Copper Chimney offers again generic
North Indian food. China Town is a reasonably good Chinese restaurant.
Next to these three eating-places is a new 'Spanish Tavern' called Zarra - a
rather classy bar with a wonderful collection of snacks (prawn croquettes,
grilled lamb chops, grilled fish and prawn all made very well) and a lot of
cocktails and beer.
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Facing the famed bookstore of Chennai, Landmark, (on Nungambakkam
High Road) on the other side of the road is the new 3 storeyed snazzy
Ispahani shopping Centre. Here there is Marrybrown, a fast food place
reviewed further down.
The Copper Point serves Indian food including the not-so-common South
Indian dishes like Fish Moilee and the like. The Oriental Pearl serves Thai
and Chinese food in the same price range and has a wide variety of items. A
small sprinkling of other Southeast Asian dishes from Malaysia, Japan etc. is
on the menu.
On Ambujambal Street in Alwarpet is a restaurant in an old style bungalow
with a very pleasant setting called Bay Leaf. It has a combination of Punjabi
and Bengali items on the menu with a pleasant place to sit.
On Kasturi Rangan Estate appropriately next to the Chennai Culinary
Institute is the first exclusive French eatery in Chennai, La Madeleine run by
a French chef.
Finally, one should mention a new Lebanese place called Cedars in
Kotturpuram near the ICICI bank counter. Nice ambience, good food and
lots of different kinds of Kebabs.
For best seafood, try Bay View Point (Taj Fisherman's cove) at Covelong
Beach, Kanchipuram District. It offers unparalleled vicinity to the sea with
Coromandel Coastal specialties, derived from the Chef's tour of homes on
the East Cost of Tamil Nadu.
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Step in at Coconut Lagoon at 1 Cathedral Road for a taste of the coastal
cuisines of Kerala, Mangalore & Goa. Seafood from mussels to squids to
jumbo prawns cooked and served in various forms according to the regions
they represent.
COFFEE BARS IN CHENNAI
Cup N Saucer
No. 49, First Main Road, Gandhi Nagar,
Savor the tantalizing taste and alluring aromas of over 72 varieties of teas
and 20 different kinds of sandwiches in this tea pub. Varieties of tea
available include - Regional, Blends, Oolong, Premium, Vintage, Green,
Herbal, Flavored, Aromatic, Spicy and International teas.
Qwikys – Alwarpet
Lifestyle Store, 81 TTK Road
G7 Gee Gee Emerald, 151 Village Road
93 Tower Victoire, G.N. Chetty Road
This 'cozy' pub offers around 100 varieties of coffee. The most common
varieties are Espresso, Mocha, Cappuccino and Americano. Try syrups in
different flavors to give your coffee that special taste. They also have a
whole range of cold coffee called, Friazzo, which comes in Espresso,
Mocha, Vanilla flavour and Biscayyo (topped with crunchy pieces of
biscuits). Snacks include yummy cheesecakes, pastries, brownies, submarine
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sandwiches, Greek sandwiches made from specially flavoured bread etc.
This pub also sells international magazines, Hallmark greeting cards, and Q-
gear, which is a special clothesline done by a designer from US.
Cafe Coffee Day - Elliots Beach Road
34 Elliots Beach Road
First Floor, Ispahani Centre, 123 & 124, Nungambakkam High Road
Cafe Coffee Day offers more than 10 types of hot coffee, 5 types of cold
coffee and one tea for tea-lovers. International syrups like Hazelnut, Irish
cream and English tonic are also available. The range of syrups on the menu
changes every month. The three international coffees on the menu
(Columbian Juan Valdez, Kenyan Safari and Ethiopian Qawah) are imported
and blended according to Indian taste. Pizzas, Burgers, Sandwiches and
Pastries are also available for those who want something to munch along
with their coffee. There are also snazzy T-shirts, caps, cruise mugs and of
course Coffee Day coffee powder.
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THE COMBO MEAL TREND
Amongst the new trends in Chennai, combo meal has become the most
favourite in fast foods and restaurants.This is a trend where a certain number
of dishes are clubbed together and offered for an economic price, which a
consumer finds most interesting.
The combo meal trend is a derivative of the old traditional ‘Table d’ hote’
trend in French restaurants, but has the advantage of providing different
options to the consumers so that, unlike ‘Table d’ hote’, they can choose a
different combo meal if one doesn’t appeal to them.
The food outlets also find the combo meal trend very useful since the meal
can be based on a few dishes, but offered in different combinations so that
wastage is minimized and the business becomes more efficient.
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KFC, Mc Donalds Adyar Anandha Bhavan, Shree Mithai and Pizza Corner
are a few examples that follow this trend.Some of the famous combo meals
include:
Burger and Fries.
Pizza and Garlic bread with Pepsi.
Assorted Chats.
Sandwich and fried Chicken.
Chicken bucket and pepsi.
The combo meal is fast catching up in Chennai and the hoteliers agree that it
will be a forerunner in the future trends of Chennai as well.
CENTRAL DELIVERY UNIT
On feed back from Mr. Raja Rajan Pillai, GM, Hyson Restaurants pvt. Ltd.,
a new concept which was to come to Chennai was discussed.
The concept was the central delivery unit, where a person can call & order
food. The unit can take in any food order, organize the meal & delivery it to
the consumer.
Unique features:
The consumers need not order different foods from different places. Instead,
one unit can take all orders & organize the meal.
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- It serves as a telephone food court.
- The consumer need not pay different bills. Instead, one bill is
prepared.
‘A consumer who wants to have pizza, as well as biriyani, need not order
from two places, instead the unit will organize meal’ says Mr. Raja Rajan
Pillai.
This concept is indeed very efficient & no doubt, will be an immediate
success, when launched in Chennai.
FOOD COURTS
A food court is a plaza that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food
vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may
be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions.
SETUP
* Food courts consist of a number of food stalls. Meals are ordered at one of
the stalls and then carried to a common dining area. Typical vendors in
Chennai are McDonald's and KFC; many food courts have several shops
which sell prepared meals for shoppers to take home and reheat, making the
food court a daily stop for some shoppers.
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Spencer’s food court:
Planet yumm food court in Chennai Spencer’s is a famous food court, with
lip-smacking aromas. The food court, though spacious, can get pretty
crowded, that also in a way speaks of the popularity of the place. The cakes
and sandwiches on display at the Hot Breads counter look tempting, but you
are seeking something more sumptuous and spicy. Right across, at Pizza
Hut, pizzas are being served with pitchers filled with Pepsi.
Shree Krishna Sweets have their speciality sweets aside from a few lunch
dishes as well. This also includes salad; there are aloo parantha and mango
pickles at Tandoor Express to dig into. Optionally there is the South Indian
Thali at Sangeetha. There is also Marry brown and The Noodle House.
*. Food courts…………The Noodle House, The Hindu dated 4th December
ORIENTAL CUISINES:
Oriental Cuisines Pvt Ltd, the owners of Planet Yumm chain of food courts,
has set up a 12,000 sq ft food court at Tidel Park and plans to open more in
the leading IT parks and commercial buildings in the city.
The Planet Yumm at Tidel Park, with a seating capacity of 240, is to open
from tomorrow with the formal launch on April 14.
It now operates 10 food courts in South India with 8 of them in Chennai
In Chennai itself it plans to set up outlets at the Olympia Tech Park, Ampa,
and the Mahindra World City.
The reason is that there is a ready captive clientele at the IT parks which
make them an attractive option. At the Tidel Park, there are over 14,000
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employees and a visitor base of over 2,000 a day. The advantage to the
patrons is that they get a varied cuisine to suit their palates.
Earlier, even at Tidel, the people had only the traditional cafeteria option.
But Planet Yumm broke that mould at the Ascendas IT Park in Chennai
where it introduced the multi-brand multi-cuisine option with its food courts.
Oriental Cuisines has tied up with international brands such as Yum
International, the owners of KFC and Pizza Hut, and with Domino’s. To this
would be added leading local brands and those that offer the traditional
cuisine.
At the Tidel Park,the participants are Domino's Pizza, Subway, New Yorker
and local leaders such as Ratna Café, Virudhunagar, and brands from
Oriental Cuisines' own stable like Wang's Kitchen, Qwikys, and Kebab
House, and a leading player in the ice cream segment, Arun Ice Creams.
Also, Juice.Net, a new chain of juice shops, is setting up its first outlet at the
Planet Yumm in Tidel Park. Juice.Net is a corporate social responsibility
initiative with a portion of the profits going to educating the needy.
KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN, CHENNAI:
After gratifying the taste buds of chicken lovers across different parts of the
country, the world’s largest chicken restaurant chain, KFC has finally
entered the city of Idlys’ and Dosas’, Chennai.
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The first store had been setup in Planet Yumm food court in the Ascendas,
Tech Park in Taramani. KFC has also opened another outlet in City Centre
at Radakrishnan Salai.
KFC brings to Chennai, its mouth watering chicken that is renowned
internationally. It offers a range of signature chicken products like crunchy
hot and crispy chicken. The soft and juicy original recipe of 11 herbs and
spices that is Sander’s secret recipe and the sumptuous Zinger burger.
Chicken lovers can indulge in the international favourite chicken bucket, a
feast of 12 sumptous pieces of chicken in an attractive takeaway reusable
bucket.
KFC has been a big success in the south. The opening of restaurant in
Chennai has extended its popularity. At present, KFC has 21 restaurants in
India, out of which 2 are in Chennai and more are expected to come.
The reason for KFC’s success is the unique taste of KFC’s signature chicken
products like hot and crispy chicken, original recipe chicken and the zinger
burger and there is an entire range of vegetarian products specially for
Chennai like Channa snacker , aromatic veggie pulao, the paneer wrap ‘n’
roll and the veg. thali.
Chennai is a significant growth for KFC and this will be further facilitated
through both franchise and equity development.
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RED E FOOD COURT:
Red E Food Court is a multi cuisine restaurant located at Chetpet, Chennai.
It is Chennai's first food court at Salzburg Square. It offers Continental,
Indian, Mexican, Italian and Oriental cuisines. Theme parties and birthday
packages are also available. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods are
provided.
Chennai's first food court, which is probably a first in the country too. It
comprises a complex offering different cuisines through specialist
restaurants, ranging from pizzerias to Chinese food and local cuisines.
Restaurants flourish the number of people eating out and staying out late
keeps growing and there is a wide variety of cuisines to choose from. From
the standard idli vada to the now popular Italian to exotic Tibetan and
Lebanese, there is much to choose from. It is then surprising that such a
concept did not find its way here earlier.
Three years ago, the chaitanya groups setup the Red-e food court in
Chennai. There are different counters for various cuisines but basically, it’s a
single entity that owns the eatery and whom all the employees work for. The
argument had been that such a setup would help maintain standards of
quality and hygiene.
PLANET YUMM:
Set up one year ago at Anna Nagar, a bustling, middle- and upper-middle
class location of Chennai, Planet Yumm took off in no time and set up
another, this time a larger one, near the beach in Besant Nagar. Teeming
with children, many making a beeline for the entertainment offered on the
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site, the Planet Yumms are lively places which house seven restaurants each
- Sangeeta, Domino's of pizza fame, Milky Way (ice-creams), Wang's
(Chinese cuisine), Cafe Spice and Haveli (North Indian food), Gayatri and
Gangotri (chaats and sweets), Cafe Coffee Day and Hot Breads.
Planet Yumm aims to develop the concept of `eatertainment' and family
entertainment centres so these food courts feature stuff which children can
play with, clamber on to, dive into and even travel into space in. The
watchmen at the beach outfit, incidentally, are asked to make sure the kids
don't stray while the parents dine.
There is something to suit everybody's budget, and tastes. An average
billing per day would be around Rs 40-45. The year-old Planet Yumm at
Anna Nagar does about 600-700 billings. However, at the beach site, which
is just a few months old, the billings on weekends are around a 1,000.
While Planet Yumm has been positioned as a treat for children (so that the
parents can eat in peace while the children play, it attracts customers ranging
from MDs to shopkeepers. The mornings and afternoons see college-going
students frequent the place but evenings are family time. There is a late night
crowd which comes just to sample the desserts. The budget for publicity for
both outlets by way of hoardings, print ads and through FM radio is very
expensive. Pepsi is the co-sponsor.
As is the norm with many restaurants today, does Planet Yumm also believe
in promotions and freebies to increase its business. Freebies or no, if there is
no quality or value-for-money perception, nothing can make a customer
patronise a restaurant. Planet Yumm too gives customers incentives such as
combo-meals, free play time, T-shirts and the like. People are used to
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promos and it's a way of rewarding the customers, it is better to advertise the
promotions rather than merely put up a hoarding notifying the existence of
the restaurant.
READY MADE FOODS
Gone are the days when for a simple gravy, the home makers ground the
spices to be added. Nowadays, nobody finds time to sit and prepare foods
from fresh ingredients since even the women go to work. Hence, ready made
foods have become a popular trend since it is easy to cook and store.
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There are many kinds of ready made foods from spices to gravies to rice and
now, even soups and pasta are common in the super markets.
Some of the companies in Chennai are ‘AACHI’, ‘SUNFEAST’ and
‘KNORR’. ‘MAGGI’ has also introduced new products.
SUNFEAST:
The sunfeast product portfolio has been further expanded to include healthy
snack options also. Sunfeast pasta treat, whole wheat based pasta was
introduced as a healthy snacking option for children.
After the tremendous success of 4 initial flavour, the instant pasta range has
been extended with two new exciting flavours- chicken and pizza. The pasta
segment has been further expanded with the launch of ‘Sunfeast benne vita’
in 4 innovative variants.
SUNFEAST PRODUCTS INCLUDE:
Sunfeast cereal bar
Sunfeast dream cream biscuits.
Sunfeast pasta treats:
Masala
Sour cream
Pizza
Chicken
Tomato
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KNORR:
Knorr is a German food and beverage brand owned by the Anglo Dutch
company Unilever that produces ready to eat soups and condiments.
Reduced calorie foods have also been produced with dual branding of both
knorr and slimfast, also owned by Unilever.
Knorr was founded by Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr in Heilbonn, Germany
in 1838. Knorr headquarters are in Germany. Products previously sold under
Lipton brand are now being absorbed into the Knorr product line.
KNORR SOUPS INCLUDE:
Knorr tomato soup
Knorr vegetable soup
Knorr mushroom soup
Knorr hot ‘n’ sour soup
AACHI: Aachi is a tamilnadu company that produces ready made foods. It
has various numbers of products in difeerent ranges and offers a wide
variety of spices, pickles etc….
SOME OF THE AACHI PRODUCTS INCLUDE:
Garam masala
Channa masala
Chicken masala
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Chilly powder
Fish curry powder
Sambar powder
Appalam (papad).
Rice Paste
READY TO MIX POWDERS:
Masala for biryani
Rava dosa
Rava idly
Rava uppma
Badam milk mix
Payasam mix
Paal ada payasam mix
Gulab jamun mix
SOME OF THE PICKLES FROM THIS FIRM INCLUDE:
o Cut mango pickle
o Mango avakkai pickle
o Grated mango pickle
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o Lime pickle
o Mixed vegetable pickle
o Tomato pickle
o Garlic pickle
o Tomato garlic pickle
o Chicken pickle
o Fish pickle
o Fish thokku
o Prawn pickle
CURRIES INCLUDE:
o Prawn kulambu
o Seer fish kulambu
o Nethili kulambu
Other companies that specialize in ready made foods are MAGGI,
TOPRAMEN etc. that specialize in various varieties of noodles.
MAGGI PRODUCTS:
1. Maggi noodles
2. Maggi cuppa mania
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3. Maggi ‘sambar’ noodles.
4. Maggi chicken noodles.
TOPRAMEN PRODUCTS:
1. Topramen noodles
2. Topramen curry noodles
3. Topramen chicken noodles
In all, the ready made food trend is popularizing in Chennai, thanks to the
ever growing need of ‘easy to cook’ foods and also because people’s lives
have become very hectic to concentrate on cooking.
VEGETARIANISM
Among the recent trends that have struck Chennai is the concept of
vegetarianism. This is the concept that nutritional researchers have been
recommending for years,
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It's about eating a varied diet that's low in saturated fat and high in fiber,
because the emphasis is on produce. It includes daily intake of fruits and
vegetables and the vitamins and minerals.
Studies show that people who follow this approach to eating generally weigh
less and have lower rates of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and
prostate and colon cancer.
Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes meat (including game
and slaughter by-products), fish (including shellfish and other sea animals)
and poultry. There are several variants of the diet, some of which also
exclude eggs and/or some products produced from animal labour such as
dairy products and honey.
A vegan diet is a form of vegetarianism which excludes all animal products
from the diet, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, and honey.
Those who practice veganism for ethical reasons exclude animal products
from their diet as part of a larger practice of abstaining from the use of
animals for any purpose (e.g. leather, fur, etc.), often out of support for
animal rights
Most vegetarians consume dairy products, and many eat eggs. Lacto-
vegetarianism includes dairy products but excludes eggs - (as practiced by
Vegetarian Hindu people of India ),
Ovo-vegetarianism includes eggs but not dairy Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism
includes both eggs and dairy products. Vegetarianism is considered a
healthy, viable diet. As a properly-planned vegetarian diet to satisfy the
nutritional needs for all stages of life,
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Vegetarianism has significantly lowered risks of cancer, ischaemic heart
disease, and other fatal diseases. Necessary nutrients, proteins, and amino
acids for the body's sustenance can be found in green leafy vegetables,
grains, nuts, and fortified juices or soymilk.
Vegetarian diets can aid in keeping body weight under control and
substantially reduce risks of heart disease and osteoporosis.
A new concept of Flexitarianism has developed in chennai where people
basically consume only vegetarian food but occasionally cinsume meat to
balance the nutritional needs of the body.
This trend is gaining popularity among the chennai people.
FAST FOOD
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very
quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be
fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with
low quality preparation and served to the customer in a packaged form for
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take-out/take-away. The term "fast food" was recognized in a dictionary by
Merriam-Webster in 1951.
Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating, or
fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise
operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs
shipped to each restaurant from central locations.
The capital requirements involved in opening up a fast food restaurant are
relatively low. Smaller, individually-owned fast food restaurants are
becoming much more common throughout the world.
Restaurants with much higher sit-in ratios, where customers tend to sit and
have their orders brought to them in a seemingly more upscale atmosphere
may be known in some areas as fast casual restaurants.
History
The concept of ready-cooked food for sale is closely connected with urban
development. In Ancient Rome cities had street stands that sold bread and
wine, East Asian featured noodle shops.
Flatbread and falafel are today ubiquitous in the Middle East. Popular Indian
fast food dishes include vada pav, panipuri and dahi vada. In the French-
speaking nations of West Africa, roadside stands in and around the larger
cities continue to sell—as they have done for generations—a range of ready-
to-eat, char-grilled meat sticks known locally as brochettes (not to be
confused with the bread snack of the same name found in Europe).
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MCDONALD'S
McDonald's, the largest fast food chain in the world and the brand most
associated with the term "fast food," was founded as a barbecue drive-in in
1940 by Dick and Mac McDonald.
After discovering that most of their profits came from hamburgers, the
brothers closed their restaurant for three months and reopened it in 1948 as a
walk-up stand offering a simple menu of hamburgers, French fries,
milkshakes, coffee, and Coca-Cola, served in disposable paper wrapping.
As a result, they were able to produce hamburgers and fries constantly,
without waiting for customer orders, and could serve them immediately;
hamburgers cost 15 cents, about half the price at a typical diner.
Their streamlined production method, which they named the "Speedee
Service System”, was influenced by the production line innovations of
Henry Ford.
The McDonalds' stand was the milkshake machine company's biggest
customer and a milkshake salesman named Ray Kroc traveled to California
to discover the secret to their high-volume burger-and-shake operation.
Kroc thought he could expand their concept, eventually buying the
McDonalds' operation outright in 1961 with the goal of making cheap,
ready-to-go hamburgers, french fries and milkshakes a nationwide business.
In chennai, Mc Donalds is situated in Taramain, Ascendas.
On the go:
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Fast food outlets are take-away or take-out providers, often with a "drive-
through" service which allows customers to order and pick up food from
their cars; but most also have a seating area in which customers can eat the
food on the premises.
People eat there more than five times a week and often, one or more of those
five times is at a fast food restaurant.
Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten "on the
go", often does not require traditional cutlery, and is eaten as a finger food.
Common menu items at fast food outlets include fish and chips, sandwiches,
pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza,
hot dogs, and ice cream, although many fast food restaurants offer "slower"
foods like chili, mashed potatoes, and salads.
STREET VENDORS AND CONCESSIONS:
Traditional street food is available around Chennai, usually from small
operators and independent vendors operating from a cart, table, or portable
grill.
Common examples include noodle vendors, hot dog carts, street vendors
provide a colorful and varying range of options designed to quickly captivate
passers-by and attract as much attention as possible.
Depending on the locale, multiple street vendors may specialize in specific
types of food characteristic of a given cultural or ethnic tradition.
In some cultures, it is typical for street vendors to call out prices, sing or
chant sales-pitches, play music, or engage in other forms of "street theatrics"
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in order to engage prospective customers. In some cases, this can garner
more attention than the food itself; some vendors represent another form of
tourist attraction
Modern commercial fast food is often highly processed and prepared in an
industrial fashion, i.e., on a large scale with standard ingredients and
standardized cooking and production methods.
It is usually rapidly served in cartons or bags or in a plastic wrapping, in a
fashion which minimizes cost. In most fast food operations, menu items are
generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply
facility and then shipped to individual outlets where they are reheated,
cooked (usually by microwave or deep frying) or assembled in a short
amount of time.
This process ensures a consistent level of product quality, and is key to
being able to deliver the order quickly to the customer and eliminate labor
and equipment costs in the individual stores.
Because of commercial emphasis on speed, uniformity and low cost, fast
food products are often made with ingredients formulated to achieve a
certain flavor or consistency and to preserve freshness.
VARIANTS
Although fast food often brings to mind traditional American fast food such
as hamburgers and fries, there are many other forms of fast food that enjoy
widespread popularity in the West.
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Chinese takeaways/takeout restaurants are particularly popular. They
normally offer a wide variety of Asian food (not always Chinese), which has
normally been fried. Most options are some form of noodles, rice, or meat.
In some cases, the food is presented as a smörgåsbord, sometimes self
service. The customer chooses the size of the container they wish to buy, and
then is free to fill it with their choice of food.
It is common to combine several options in one container, and some outlets
charge by weight rather than by item. Many of these restaurants offer free
delivery for purchases over a minimum amount.
Sushi has seen rapidly rising popularity in recent times. A form of fast food
created in Japan, Sushi is normally cold sticky rice served with raw fish.
The most popular kind is rolls of rice in nori (dried laver), with filling. The
filling often includes fish, chicken or cucumber.
Pizza is a common fast food category in the United States, with chains such
as Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut. Menus are more limited and standardized
than in traditional pizzerias, and pizza delivery, often with a time
commitment, is offered.
Kebab houses are a form of fast food restaurant .These doner kebabs are
distinct from shish kebabs served on sticks.
FAST FOOD EFFECTS ON HEALTH:
In today’s age of convenience, fast food needs no introduction. Everyone
from a 2-year-old toddler to a 60-year-old grandpa seems to be enjoying it
every chance they get. Because, it’s delicious, it’s filling, is really
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affordable, and readily available just any time of the day, being only a drive
through phone call away.
For living life in the fast lane we all need is , plenty – fast food all good
tastes, except that it is not nutritionally balanced and, therefore, unhealthy in
the long run if consumed on a regular basis.
Fast food is loaded with calories from refined sugar and fats (especially, the
artery-clogging saturated and hydrogenated fats, which are repeatedly
reheated to high temperatures for frying purposes).
It is also very high in sodium, coming from common salt and other
additives. On top of all this, fast food is deficient in dietary fiber and
essential micro-nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
To make matters worse, heaps of fast food is normally guzzled down with
gallons of sugar-rich colas – which many fast-food restaurants serve free
with food as an incentive.
To make a long story short, all this results in piling up of unused empty
calories in the body, which get stored as body fat – till one day you look in
the mirror and realize that your great figure has been replaced by this
creature in the mirror.
But that’s not the end of the story, it’s just the beginning – consuming too
much fast food not only turns a handsome guy into an unsightly obese man,
it is a big health hazard too.
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And being physically inactive only adds to the problem of obesity. Not
many people who love fast food are ready to acknowledge that obesity is not
simply an eyesore – it is a major risk factor for a large number of deadly
diseases like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and
even many types of cancers.
Recent scientific studies have shown that high-calorie foods rich in fats,
refined sugar and salt could reconfigure the hormones in the body in such a
way that they make you crave for such foods and always leave you asking
for more.
In other words, fast food is kind of addictive; you get hooked on to it and
continue consuming it in an uncontrolled way in spite of knowing that it is
unhealthy. The more you consume, the more difficult it is for you to opt for
healthy foods.
The situation is worse in case of children who from a very young age get
hooked on fast food. Making them change their food habits from fatty and
sweet foods and develop a taste for health-promoting fruits and vegetables is
a task easier said than done. Such children would grow up to be obese adults
who have never felt the advantages of being a healthy weight.
To sum up, consuming fast food on a regular basis leads to many health
hazards. But bringing about changes in eating habits is not easy.
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DIETING
Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve or
maintain a controlled weight. In most cases the goal is weight loss in those
who are overweight or obese, but some athletes aspire to gain weight
(usually in the form of muscle) and diets can also be used to maintain a
stable body weight.
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TYPES OF DIETING
There are several kinds of diets:
Weight-loss diets restrict the intake of specific foods, or food in general, to
reduce body weight. What works to reduce body weight for one person will
not necessarily work for another, due to metabolic differences and lifestyle
factors.
Also, for a variety of reasons, most people find it difficult to maintain
significant weight loss over time — among individuals that have lost 10% or
more of body weight, only 20% are able to maintain that weight loss for a
full year.
Athletes participating in professional sports may sometimes undertake
weight-gain diets to increase their body mass and gain advantage in their
field.
Individuals who are underweight, such as those recovering from anorexia
nervosa or starvation, may adopt weight-gain diets which, unlike those of
athletes, have the goal of restoring normal levels of body fat, muscle, and
stores of essential nutrients.
Actors, and people participating in similar activities, may pursue weight loss
or gain in order to better portray a particular role
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Psychological aspects of weight-loss dieting
Diets affect the "energy in" component of the energy balance by limiting or
altering the distribution of foods. Techniques that affect the appetite can
limit energy intake by affecting the desire to overeat.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been effective in producing long term
weight loss. Judith S. Beck has been one of the most prominent practitioners
and writers to bring this method to a popular audience.
Consumption of low-energy, fiber-rich foods, such as non-starchy
vegetables, is effective in obtaining satiation (the feeling of "fullness").
Exercise is also useful in controlling appetite as is drinking water and
sleeping. (Extreme physical fatigue, such as that experienced by soldiers and
mountain climbers, can make eating a difficult chore.)
The use of drugs to control appetite is also common. Stimulants are often
taken as a means to suppress hunger in people who are dieting. Ephedrine
(through facilitating the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline) stimulates
the alpha (1)-adrenoreceptor subtype, which is known to act as an anorectic.
L-Phenylalanine, an amino acid found in whey protein powders also has the
ability to suppress appetite by increasing the hormone cholecystokinin
(CCK) which sends a satiety signal to the brain
FOOD FESTIVAL
A food festival is a festival usually held annually, that uses food; often
produce as its central theme.
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These festivals have always been a mean of uniting communities through
celebration of harvest and giving thanks for a plentiful growing season.
It may also be held by various hotels and institutions for popularity or
business wherein the food and the décor are made according to the theme
chosen.
In Chennai, food festivals are conducted often in high class or star class
hotels to promote their brand.
Some adopt international cuisine while others adopt a particular state or
region and thus reveal the food and culture, the nature of the state or region
etc.
ORGANIC FOODS
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Over the past years, the concept of going green and eating healthy food has
germinated into a small industry that can be seen in the form of eco-stores
that are sprouting up all over the city.
People are now slowly waking up to staying healthy and part of this
awareness about eating right means going on for organic foods.
There is an increase in demand for organically grown food which is grown
without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Organic muesli, kokan (a tamarind supplement), and drumstick powder for
making foods has become a recent trend in the Chennai markets. Organic
food has countless health benefits.
Safe food products, free from chemicals, ensure healthy life and children
who grow up eating organic food are proven to be stronger.
The concept of organic food is evolving and demand is growing nowadays.
Many acres of land have been used to grow these organic foods and more
lands with the help of local farmers are being setup to produce organic
foods.
Use of chemical fertilizers in the agricultural field has reached a peak
nowadays and if it has to be stopped, it is only through organic foods.
Customers need not insist in certified organic products because most of the
stores have started networking around Chennai with the local farmers so that
only organically produced food products are made available to the
consumers.
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The certification is necessary only for the foods those have huge holdings
and whose aim is to sell their products oversees.
CENTER FOR INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM (CIKS) aided by local
NGOs and groups with large network of farmers, nearby Chennai, are
helping them switch over to the organic method of cultivation, closely
monitoring their progress at various levels and creating markets to produce
them under the brand name ‘Arogyam’, which in ‘Tamil’ means ‘Health’.
Apart these actions some think that organic food is already perceived as
expensive and certification would add to the cost.
So, this stops the cultivation of organic food and thus, people or customers
don’t insist on certification if they buy from reputed health food stores.
Organic food prices are found to be actually reasonable. If customers try out
to eat the organic food, they change over completely after feeling the
difference.
It is found to have a little exclusion as the price is considerably expensive
for an average family in Chennai, but it is willing for the people to spend on
organic food keeps coming back because it is healthier.
Organic food benefits are enormous. It is just as nutritious, safer, animal and
environment friendly and not genetically modified. It is found that stores
that sell organic foods have found a good business out.
This trend seems to be healthy and more youngsters seem to be consciously
switching over to this trend. Organic food trend is the future medicine.
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In Chennai,
The Econut health food shop (www. theeconut.co.nr)
Pro organic foods (www.proorganic.in)
Magic monkey health
High life
Are few places that offer organic foods for the customer, depending on age
and sex this trend is popularizing in Chennai and is a definite future
forerunner in Chennai’s food trends.
ONLINE FOOD ORDERING SERVICES:
*Online food ordering services are websites that feature interactive menus
allowing customers to place orders with local restaurants. Much like
ordering consumer goods online, many of these allow customers to keep
accounts with them in order to make frequent ordering convenient.
A customer will search for a favorite restaurant, choose from available
items, and choose delivery or pick-up. Payment can be by credit card or
cash, with the restaurant returning a percentage to the online food company.
SERVICE TYPES
While e-commerce has been around for over a decade, closing the gap
between food and the Internet has taken longer. The first restaurants to adopt
online food ordering services were corporate franchises such Pizza Hut.
Online food………………. food company, Deccan Chronicle, dated 22nd January
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RESTAURANT-CONTROLLED
The preexisting delivery infrastructure of these franchises was well suited
for an online ordering system; so much so that in 2008 pizza hut announced
that its online sales were growing on average more than 50 percent each year
Local companies have teamed up with e-commerce companies to make
ordering quicker and more precise.
Some restaurants have adopted online ordering despite their lack of delivery
systems, using it to manage pick-up orders or to take reservations.
INDEPENDENT
Independent online food ordering companies offer two solutions. One is a
software service whereby restaurants purchase database and account
management software from the company and manage the online ordering
themselves. The other solution is a Net-based service whereby restaurants
sign contracts with an online food ordering website that may handle orders
from many restaurants in a regional or national area.
One difference between the systems is how the online menu is created and
later updated. Managed services do this via phone or email, while
unmanaged services require the customer to do it.
Websites featuring online restaurant menus have been on the Internet for
nearly a decade. In recent years, however, more and more restaurants outside
of large metropolitan areas have been able to feature their menus online as a
result of this trend.
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Several restaurant-owned and startup online food ordering websites already
included menus on their websites, yet due to the limitations of which
restaurants could handle online orders, many restaurants were left invisible
to the Internet aside from an address listing.
Multiple companies came up with the idea of posting menus online
simultaneously, and it is difficult to ascertain who was first. Menus and
online food ordering have been available online since at least 1997. Since
1997, hundreds of online restaurant menu web sites have appeared on the
Internet. Some sites are city-specific, some list by region, state or province.
They also arrange parties, book tables, provide food reviews, discounts etc…
ONLINE FOOD SERVICES IN CHENNAI:
Many of the consumers return home at odd hours and are reluctant to
wait for their meals.
They find it convenient to order foods online with the time of
delivery.
While convenience is the key ingredient in working up the market,
factors such as
Consumers wanting an informed choice before dining also count.
Consumers demanding value for money count on online food services
to help them make informed choices by providing information on the
cuisine the restaurant offers, the ambience, reviews by previous diners
and pricing also and the overall rating of a restaurant.
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The online food services scored more than the order by phone as the
latter restricted itself to verbal information exchanged between the
consumer and the restaurant employee while the visual displays in the
online food services and reviews are more attractive.
In Chennai, these are a few websites that offer online food ordering services.
Saravana Fast Foods
www.saravanabhavan.com
Kumaran Fast Foods
www.kumarans.org
Other Websites
www.cityfoods.in
www.chennaifoodcourt.com
www.ordermonger.com
www.onlinefeast.com
www.foodpunch.com.
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PRESERVED FOODS
Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or
greatly slow down spoilage (loss of quality, edibility or nutritive value)
caused or accelerated by micro-organisms. Some methods, however, use
benign bacteria, yeasts or fungi to add specific qualities and to preserve food
(e.g., cheese, wine). While maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture
and flavour is important in preserving its value as food; this is a culturally
dependent. What qualifies as food fit for humans in one culture may not
qualify in another culture.
Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi, and
other micro-organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which cause
rancidity. It also includes processes to inhibit natural ageing and
discolouration that can occur during food preparation such as the enzymatic
browning reaction in apples which causes browning when apples are cut.
Some preservation methods require the food to be sealed after treatment to
prevent recontamination with microbes; others, such as drying, allow food to
be stored without any special containment for long periods.
Common methods of applying these processes include drying, spray drying,
freeze drying, freezing,vacuum-packing, canning, preserving in syrup, sugar
crystallisation, food irradiation, and adding preservatives or inert gases such
as carbon dioxide. Other methods that not only help to preserve food, but
also add flavour, include pickling, salting, smoking, preserving in syrup or
alcohol, sugar crystallisation and curing.
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There are methods by which food is preserved. Some of them are as follows:
Freezing
Vacuum Packing
Salt
Smoking
Sugar
Pickling
Drying
Canning and Bottling
Jellying
Potting
Burial in the Ground
METHODS OF FOOD PRESERVATION:
FREEZING
Freezing is also one of the most commonly used processes commercially
and domestically for preserving a very wide range of food including
prepared food stuffs which would not have required freezing in their
unprepared state. For example, potato waffles are stored in the freezer, but
potatoes themselves require only a cool dark place to ensure many months'
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storage. Cold stores provide large volume, long-term storage for strategic
food stocks held in case of national emergency in many countries.
VACUUM PACKING
Vacuum-packing stores food in a vacuum environment, usually in an air-
tight bag or bottle. The vacuum environment strips bacteria of oxygen
needed for survival, slowing spoiling. Vacuum-packing is commonly used
for storing nuts to reduce loss of flavor from oxidation.
SALT
Salting or curing draws moisture from the meat through a process of
osmosis. Meat is cured with salt or sugar, or a combination of the two.
Nitrates and nitrites are also often used to cure meat and contribute the
characteristic pink color, as well as inhibition of Clostridium botulinum.
SMOKING
Meat, fish and some other foods may be both preserved and flavored through
the use of smoke, typically in a smokehouse. The combination of heat to dry
the food without cooking it, and the addition of the aromatic
(phenolic)hydrocarbons from the smoke preserves the food.
SUGAR
Sugar is used to preserve fruits, either in syrup with fruit such as apples,
pears, peaches, apricots, plums or in crystallized form where the preserved
material is cooked in sugar to the point of crystallisation and the resultant
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product is then stored dry. This method is used for the skins of citrus fruit
(candied peel), angelica and ginger.
A modification of this process produces glacé fruit such as glacé cherries
where the fruit is preserved in sugar but is then extracted from the syrup and
sold, the preservation being maintained by the sugar content of the fruit and
the superficial coating of syrup. The use of sugar is often combined with
alcohol for preservation of luxury products such as fruit in brandy or other
spirits. These should not be confused with fruit flavored spirits such as
cherry brandy or Sloe gin.
PICKLING
Pickling is a method of preserving food in an edible anti-microbial liquid.
Pickling can be broadly categorized as chemical pickling (for example,
brining) and fermentation pickling (for example, making sauerkraut).
In chemical pickling, the food is placed in an edible liquid that inhibits or
kills bacteria and other micro-organisms. Typical pickling agents include
brine (high in salt), vinegar, alcohol, and vegetable oil, especially olive oil
but also many other oils.
Many chemical pickling processes also involve heating or boiling so that the
food being preserved becomes saturated with the pickling agent. Common
chemically pickled foods include cucumbers, peppers, corned beef, herring,
and eggs, as well mixed vegetables such as piccalilli, chow-chow,
giardiniera, and achar.
In fermentation pickling, the food itself produces the preservation agent,
typically by a process that produces lactic acid. Fermented pickles include
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sauerkraut, nukazuke, kimchi, surströmming, and curtido. Some chemically
pickled cucumbers are also fermented. In commercial pickles, a preservative
like sodium benzoate or EDTAmayalso be added to enhance shelf life
Drying
One of the oldest methods of food preservation is by drying, which reduces
water activity sufficiently to prevent or delay bacterial growth.] Drying also
reduces weight, making food more portable. Most types of meat can be
dried; a good example is beef jerky.
Many fruits can also be dried; for example, the process is often applied to
apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, papaya, apricot, and coconut. Zante
currants, sultanas and raisins are all forms of dried grapes. Drying is also the
normal means of preservation for cereal grains such as wheat, maize, oats,
barley, rice, millet and rye.
CANNING AND BOTTLING
Canning involves cooking food, sealing it in sterile cans or jars, and boiling
the containers to kill or weaken any remaining bacteria as a form of
sterilization. Various foods have varying degrees of natural protection
against spoilage and may require that the final step occur in a pressure
cooker.
High-acid fruits like strawberries require no preservatives to can and only a
short boiling cycle, whereas marginal fruits such as tomatoes require longer
boiling and addition of other acidic elements. Low acid foods, such as
vegetables and meats require pressure canning. Food preserved by canning
or bottling is at immediate risk of spoilage once the can or bottle has been
opened.
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Lack of quality control in the canning process may allow ingress of water or
micro-organisms. Most such failures are rapidly detected as decomposition
within the can causes gas production and the can will swell or burst.
However, there have been examples of poor manufacture
(underprocessing)and poor hygiene allowing contamination of canned food
by the obligate anaerobe, Clostridium botulinum which produces an acute
toxin within the food, leading to severe illness or death.
This organism produces no gas or obvious taste and remains undetected by
taste or smell. Its toxin is denatured by cooking, though. Cooked
mushrooms, handled poorly and then canned, can support the growth of
Staphylococcus aureus, which produces a toxin that is not destroyed by
canning or subsequent reheating.
JELLYING
Food may be preserved by cooking in a material that solidifies to form a gel.
Such materials include gelatine, agar, maize flour and arrowroot flour. Some
foods naturally form a protein gel when cooked such as eels and elvers, and
sipunculid worms which are a delicacy in the town of Xiamen in Fujian
province of the People's Republic of China. Jellied eels are a delicacy in the
East End of London where they are eaten with mashed potatoes.
Fruit preserved by jellying is known as jelly, marmalade, or fruit preserves.
In this case, the jellying agent is usually pectin, either added during cooking
or arising naturally from the fruit. Most preserved fruit is also sugared.
Heating, packaging and acid and sugar provide the preservation.
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POTTING
A traditional British way of preserving meat (particularly shrimp) is by
setting it in a pot and sealing it with a layer of fat. Also common is potted
chicken liver; compare pâté.
BURIAL IN THE GROUND
Burial of food can preserve it due to a variety of factors: lack of light, lack of
oxygen, cool temperatures, pH level, or desiccants in the soil. Burial may be
combined with other methods such as salting or fermentation.
Many root vegetables are very resistant to spoilage and require no other
preservation other than storage in cool dark conditions, for example by
burial in the ground, such as in a storage clamp.
Century eggs are created by placing eggs in alkaline mud (or other alkaline
substance) resulting in their "inorganic" fermentation through raised pH
instead of spoiling. The fermentation preserves them and breaks down some
of the complex, less flavorful proteins and fats into simpler more flavorful
ones.
Most foods can be preserved in soil that is very dry and salty (thus a
desiccant), or soil that is frozen.
Cabbage was traditionally buried in the fall in northern farms in the USA for
preservation. Some methods keep it crispy while other methods produce
sauerkraut. A similar process is used in the traditional production of kimchi.
Sometimes meat is buried under conditions which cause preservation. If
buried on hot coals or ashes, the heat can kill pathogens, the dry ash can
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desiccate, and the earth can block oxygen and further contamination. If
buried where the earth is very cold, the earth acts like a refrigerator.
JUGGING
Meat can be preserved through jugging, the process of stewing meat
(commonly fish/game) the animal to be jugged is usually cut into pieces,
placed into a tightly-sealed jug with brine or gravy and stewed.
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OTHER FOOD TRENDS
BUFFET
A buffet is a meal system where patrons generally serve themselves. It is a
popular method for feeding a large number of people with minimal staff.
Buffets are offered at various places including hotels, casinos, cruise ships,
and at church and social events. Sideboards are also known as buffets as
they may be used to offer the dishes of a buffet meal to guests.
TYPES
One form of buffet is to have a line of food serving stalls filled with fixed
portions of food; customers take whatever food items they want as they walk
along and pay at the end for each piece. This form is most commonly seen in
cafeterias.
Another form, known as the all-you-can-eat buffet, is more free-form:
customers pay a fixed fee and can then help themselves to as much food as
they wish to eat in a single meal. This form is found often in restaurants,
especially in hotels; virtually every major casino resort in North America
has one, with some being very elaborate and extensive.
In North America and Australia, restaurants specializing in Chinese and
Indian cuisine commonly offer this type of buffet for lunch.
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A third type of buffet commonly offered in delicatessens and supermarkets
is a bar, in which customers help themselves to lettuce and other salad
ingredients, then pay by weight.
SUPERFOOD
To put it very simply, if we don't eat, we don't live. But aside from serving
that most basic need - that of keeping us alive and our taste buds happy - the
best foods keep us healthy, happy and whole.
These are the super foods, a cross between food and medicine. Ayurveda,
one of the world’s oldest and still most practical health treatises, had always
connected food with medicine.
But over the years, we lost that connection and forgot about the healing
power of food. We've regained that knowledge to an extent now, but we tend
to focus only on the energy component of food - its calorie count.
That's not the only attribute of food however. Food gives us the vitality to
function; builds our bodies; protects us from the environment by creating a
layer of fat; affects our moods; fights disease at a cellular and metabolic
level; improves body rejuvenation and so delays ageing; and cures diseases.
All foods have a medicinal value, but certain plants that may not ordinarily
be part of our daily diets have an immense capacity to affect us positively in
various ways. Here are some of them, easily available in urban India.
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CLEARER FOOD LABELS
Increasingly, consumers don't want ingredients they can't pronounce, nor do
they want artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, experts say. Look for
more informative and clearer labels, and foods with just a handful of simple
ingredients.
FOOD LABELS:
Research has shown that eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet reduces the
risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and osteoporosis. And
the grocery store shelves are full of foods with packaging promising to help
do that.
But it's important to take a close look — beyond the promises — at the
nutritional values, ingredients, and calorie counts in the food you buy, and to
understand how they factor into your family's healthy eating.
Food labels provide this information and allow you to make smart choices to
help meet your family's nutritional needs
FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Functional foods are enriched with nutrients that may not be inherent to a
given food. Familiar examples include orange juice fortified with calcium or
milk fortified with vitamins A and D. As sales of these foods have soared in
recent years, more functional foods have reached the market, such as eggs
and pastas with omega-3 fatty acids, sterol-fortified chocolates and high-
fiber, high-protein flours.
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CONCLUSION
Through research on the topic, changing food trends on the people in
Chennai, I have come to know about the recent trends in Chennai, their
reasons for success and why they keep changing.
While organic foods and vegetarianism concept have started gaining
importance, people are giving more concentration towards fast foods, but not
enough concentration on nutrition.
The reason behind this is because people give importance to taste over
nutrition.
Also, food festivals, theme lunches and innovative buffets have started to
play a vital role in the changing trends.
Lastly, ready made foods are canned foods are also emerging trends.
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FINDINGS
From the analysis of the data & the questionnaire, I have come to a few
conclusions, which shall reflect the result of the project. They are:
- Food courts are the trends which are fastest growing.
- Fast foods, without which most foods wouldn’t exist, are the second
most fastest growing trend.
- Though organic food trend is gaining importance, most outlets have
not adopted the trend & hence, it will still take some time to
accomplish.
- Still, the majority of outlets do not give much importance to nutrition
as they give to taste.
- Almost all the outlets change their menu & food costs to suit the
present trends on an annual basis.
- Most outlets concentrate on providing quality service with tasty food
as they believe it is he main promoter of their products.
- The consumers have become more demanding & always look for
more variety in foods they consume.
- Restaurants are still catching on with the trend of setting up separate
menu for diabetic, old age and children.
- Chennai faces a major space crisis and big malls are not able to be
built due to space constraint.
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- Only a few restaurants provide the consumers with nutrition
information.
- Only a few restaurants provide the consumers with nutrition
information.
- Although the vegetarianism trend is gaining importance, it has not
affected the sales volume of many restaurants.
- There is a split in the Chennai people’s attitude towards international
food concept, while some have adopted, some still do not have
awareness.
- Most restaurants use fresh foods since consumers concentrate on
nutrition though non-commercial household kitchens are more
equipped with preserved foods.
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SUGGESTIONS
Foods courts with fast foods are the major good trend in Chennai.
Hence investment in these sectors is a sure winner.
Organic and nutritive foods are the growing rends, hence small scale
investment in these sectors can lead to huge profits in the future.
Vegetarianism and flexetarianism concepts have big demands in
Chennai.
Investment in innovative readymade of canned goods is a wise
decision.
Food festivals though are being conducted n Chennai, have not had
enough promotions.
Buffet on new international cuisine like Thai, North-East Indian,
Srilankan and Goan cuisines will attract lots of crowds.
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