"Current pandemic is changing customer behaviour," says Chef Sandeep Pande

Bringing a culinary amalgamation of flavours, aromas and authenticity in his cooking, Sandeep Pande is executive chef at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity. A master in Mediterranean, Thai, Indian and French cuisines, Sandeep has been associated with the Marriott hotels for a prolonged time in his past endeavours where he lead the culinary forefront with innovation, passion and dedication. Presently leading kitchens at JW Marriott Aerocity, he is continuously on a drive to elevate the hotels’ culinary experiences to their in-house and non-resident guests. “My enthusiasm has always pushed me to go beyond the realm of work and collaborate with other teams to create something wonderfully new. Hence, going beyond my culinary expertise, I also take an active interest in the overall F&B (food and beverage) operations,” he shared. Excerpts from the interview:

How the food at Marriott is different from other restaurants. How much time did you spend doing research on the food etc.?

Tastes change. Trends come and go. Throughout the world, our team of more than 3,000 executive chefs, and expert culinarians and mixologists bring the freshest concepts and ingredients together. From seasonal harvests from local producers for farm-to-table eating, to innovative cuisine from our chefs, with tapas, build-it-yourself plates, comfort foods and artisanal treats. There's small bites and big flavors. Desserts to take away. Non-traditional break options like food trucks, juice stands, nuts, dried fruit and candy bars. And, of course, craft beverages, flavor-balanced cocktails, homemade infusions and limited batches.

What is the biggest food innovation that you have brought to the menu in the past 2-3 years?

Keeping up with the food trends, I and my team have showcased new trend setting desserts in the dessert buffets as part of our Brunches. The guests comments specifically mentioning our dessert buffets on Zomato and TripAdvisor have gone up by 40% and this has also been reflected in Delhi Baking Company which has seen an upwards trend by 30% and has helped cross monthly budgets and positioned it as the best Restaurant for desserts on Tripadvisor.

#ChefCurated: Our tagline is “Do not feel boxed by the menu”, if we have the makings we will make it for you. A brilliant mantra crafted by me for all our food and beverage offerings and this is what is conveyed to our guests by our managers as well.

Who are you targeting as your customer at Marriott restaurant? 

We are targeting upper class, corporate, families, honeymooners, and travelers like premium, business and leisure as its target customers. It believes in serving with integrity and excellence.

Chef, we see that 2020 has brought a complete change in the behavior of customers. How are you trying hard to meet their demand?

The current pandemic is changing customer behavior and will continue to have an influence even when the crisis subsides. The coronavirus crisis is forcing all customers to adopt new habits surrounding dining at restaurants and eating in general. After the pandemic has passed, customers expect to be much less reliant on takeout than they are now. The current pandemic is changing customer behavior and will continue to have an influence even when the crisis subsides.

Also, we see that Marriott is one of the first hotels to adapt to the new innovations including delivery. How has it given a new set of customer?

This has helped us shift the paradigm and opened new customer’s base.