There are at least six locations I have been to in Mumbai in recent times that have seen a new restaurant replace an old one. The same is true, I am told, across the globe.

As people, we are changing. We don’t read a book consistently (if we read at all anymore). We start several at the same time, we open multiple tabs across multiple screens, we become different people. As we have multiple usernames and handles, we like to experiment and get new experiences. We don’t travel to the same place again and seek newness each time. Ticking off a list, we have fragmented attention spans, doing many different things peripherally rather than one in depth. We are showing behaviours that do not require commitment; rather, they exemplify moving on.

The rent vs buy argument is gaining ground. More and more people are using mobile apps for transportation, rather than looking at ownership, through models such as Uber, Ola on the one hand or the shared drive models of Zip cars on the other.

We seek new experiences and want to eat a different cuisine. We rarely go to the same restaurants. We don’t seek the comfort of familiarity; rather, we seek the titillation of variety. Every time I see a new restaurant opening I wonder why the promoters are not waking up to this new reality and think new models. Perhaps one like a multiplex, where the kitchen is the same but new chefs come and go. Or quick-service formats where the design builds in new skins and layouts to create visually different experiences and a constantly changing menu.

Consumers are changing, and restaurants, to be profitable, must change too. All the time.

(Alpana Parida is President, DY Works, a brand strategy and design firm that creates culture-based solutions for businesses)

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