Taking a cue from their counterparts in Kozhikode, hoteliers in Kochi are developing their own mobile application for food delivery. “The application is now at an advanced stage and will be ready for launch soon,” said Aziz Moosa, district president of Kerala Hotel and Restaurants’ Association here on Tuesday.
He said that about 30% to 40% of the hotels and catering institutions in Kochi had returned to business, though not in full swing, with the partial lifting of the lockdown last week.
Suhail Mohammed of Kozhikode, State vice-president of the association, said that Kozhikode city restaurant owners were relying on an online platform for food delivery. Around 40 restaurants in Kozhikode city area, he said, were depending on the service now. There were about 2,000 restaurants in the city area, he added.
Mr. Azeez said that food delivery aggregators were trying to exploit hotel owners by demanding for 20% to 30% commission on sales. The association was developing an app exclusively for Kochi city and another one for the entire State, he added.
Appeal to KSEB
Restaurant owners have, in the meanwhile, appealed to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to forgo the fixed charges being levied on service providers. Fixed charges come to about 10% of the bill. They said that the government must provide them relief because of the constraints in doing business during the lockdown period.