NRAI, the Industry Body National Restaurant Association of India, on Saturday announced its first initiative – a strategic partnership with the Gurgaon-based O2O commerce platform – DotPe. The partnership is aimed at increasing sales and solving B2B digital ordering by integrating the payment gateway to its member restaurants and cloud kitchens.

NRAI stated this during the Town Hall 2.0 event hosting. NRAI also stated that it is committed to partner with technology solutions for giving authority to restaurants on taking core business decisions. The deployment of the DotPe’s QR-based digital commerce and payments solution, NRAI represented 5+ lakh restaurants will get to reorient their operations by making direct connections with their customers on WhatsApp.

Through this partnership, NRAI members will be able to avail the services cost-efficiently and not on a percentage-based commission. When the lockdown is over, the restaurants will be able to take charge of the DotPe’s QR-based catalog and e-commerce platform for accepting digital orders and thereby ensuring minimal human touch.

Being a technology startup, DotPe provides novel digital transformation and commerce solutions to brick and mortar outlets. Through this partnership, DotPe will be able to communicate directly with India’s restaurants and offer them digital ordering solution. DotPe will be able to assist the restaurants to restoring customer trust, streamlining business operations, measuring social distancing and safety norms.

The aftermath of lockdown will witness NRAI and DotPe’s ‘Digital Ordering’ solution making customers gaining confidence on minimal human touch at restaurants during ordering and bill settlements. Customers will be able to scan the QR codes on tables using cell phones, after which the entire menu will be displayed on the cell phone screen. It’s equivalent to an e-commerce catalog.

Customers will be able to order using the catalog while being seated and make payments using the cell phone itself. Any further communication regarding orders will take place on the customer’s WhatsApp numbers. Furthermore, the restaurants can start their own omnichannel digital platform, during which they can own the customers completely.

The service is availed by a few renowned food chains like Haldiram’s, Social, Smoke House Delhi, Café Delhi Heights, and Fab Café. DotPe will be benefitting lakhs of large and small offline businesses in the coming months.

The President of NRAI and Executive Director of deGustibus Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, Anurag Katriar, said, “We are committed to become digitally more self-reliant as an industry. While NRAI has spearheaded this initiative, I firmly believe that this solution will benefit the entire F&B fraternity at large, benefitting lakhs of small restaurants across the country. NRAI will be unveiling few more industry-friendly tech solutions in the coming days which will hopefully change the contours of this trade and benefit lakhs of business owners rather than a handful of digital giants.”

DotPe’s Founder, Shailaz Nag, said, “In the case of dine-in, the customer safety is of prime importance and by using our Digital Ordering solution, customers can avoid multiple human contact points. Moreover, there’s no need for customers to download any additional app as they can start ordering food by simply scanning a QR code once. I’m confident that our solution will allow the restaurants to completely own the customer experience, create own digital channel for both online and offline ordering, and thereby manage their expenses and customer data better.”

While being worried because of the trend of several key decision-making process getting slowly suppressed due to the new-age digital landlords, DotPe seeks to involve a transparent ecosystem to make positive changes in the restaurant industry, and continue working on multiple tech solutions for the F&B sector.