Chutney Ivy Embraces a New Digital Era for Restaurants

Although restaurants have been hit especially hard this year by COVID-19, some business owners in the industry have embraced new opportunities offered by technology to overcome the challenges they face. Shaf Islam, owner of Chutney Ivy, is one such restaurateur. Based in Leicester, U.K., Chutney Ivy is a contemporary Indian dining space complete with a bar and lounge. During the coronavirus lockdown, they’ve capitalized on the proliferation of takeout and delivery apps, and implemented some creative solutions of their own.

Chutney Ivy first opened its doors in 2010, entering a business environment where consumers were still operating on tight budgets in the wake of the ‘08 financial crisis, people were avoiding the area due to traffic roadblocks, and nobody knew where or what this new restaurant was. Islam joined Groupon on a neighbor’s advice, and within 48 hours of their first deal launch they had to hire additional staff to field all the incoming calls and inquiries. Now, their Groupon deals are part of an array of creative solutions they’ve deployed to survive the era of COVID-19.

When Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a lockdown on dine-in service, Chutney Ivy had to immediately switch from focusing on year-over-year growth to just survival. Islam says they realized that the rules of the game had changed and they needed to adapt to the new environment, which is takeaway and pickup, so overnight they signed up with all the major delivery companies as well as some smaller local ones. They followed this up by introducing their own app for ordering and preordering for people who just want to quickly pick up their food, and updated their website to give customers updates on the status and hours of the restaurant.

Like many chefs, Islam has also embraced tech in another way: virtual cooking lessons. Since mid-May, Groupon has been hosting semi-weekly virtual sessions allowing merchants to bring their experiences into the homes of our global team, and Chutney Ivy hosted our latest experience. Chef Islam showed us how to make a Goan Fish Torcurry with seabass, coconut milk, and plenty of coriander, drawing on his Bangladeshi roots.

With all of the worrying stats and news stories we see daily about the restaurant industry, we thought it’d be worth sharing one story of a restaurant owner who has embraced change to make it through this unusual period. If you’re a restaurant owner preparing to return to business, we recommend checking out our guide to reopening your restaurant. We also suggest you consider promoting your reopening with a Groupon campaign—there’s no upfront cost, and we’re committed to helping you get the word out so you can nail your recovery and make a complete comeback.