Office cafeterias will never be the same again: You'll have to book slots, can't stand in line chatting

New Delhi: Food-tech startup SmartQ on Sunday said it will launch a "slot-based booking system" in June to decongest cafeterias across organisations in India, as they gear up to commence operations with easing of COVID-19 lockdown.

For companies, ensuring a safe environment for employees and consumers, especially at highly crowded areas such as the office cafeteria and IT park food courts, is their top-most priority, SmartQ said in a statement.

The initiative called 'Smart Pass' is a slot-based booking and allocation system, focusing on the safety and convenience of the user while providing the authority and flexibility of booking time slots based on their schedule, it added.

The user can book the desired slot and also pre-order the food, it added.

"We are all set to launch 'Smart Pass' in India from June onwards and globally across seven countries including New Zealand, USA, Germany and a few other European Countries," SmartQ  Co-founder and CEO Krishna Wage said.

In India, the company is initially enabling the 'Smart Pass' technology in the cafeterias of leading Indian multi-nationals including Goldman Sachs, Boeing, Compass Group, Airtel, Siemens, Boeing, Razorpay among others, he added.

"We are in talks with many other companies to expand the 'Smart Pass' service in India and outside India. We have also got a nod from a few corporates in Germany where we will be going live in the next couple of weeks," Wage said.

The company also sees future opportunities for this technology in areas like malls, airports, IT park food courts, and even large retail chains, the statement said.