Fresh look at all-day dining

Star hotels are experimenting with curated menus and interactive elements in their all-day dining restaurants. Are these generating buzz or should the original format play to its strengths—that of dependability and comfort, wonders Ruth Dsouza Prabhu.

Once looked at as a place for special occasions only, star hotel all-day dining restaurants are a go-to for everything, from power-packed corporate dealings to match-making bids and celebrating a milestone. 

Largely following a familiar format of an à la carte menu with a set of popular dishes like biryanis, sandwiches, pasta and burgers, and buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all-day dining restaurants have long since been considered the predictably reliable hallmark of hotels. However, they are evolving. 

With standalone outlets working with far more agility when it comes to their offerings and visibility, hotels have to keep pace. In response, some are eschewing the standard buffet for more curated offerings like prix fixe menus, and others are introducing interactive elements to engage diners. But are these efforts enough to generate some excitement—or is the original format’s strength still in its comfort and reliability?     

À la carte menus

At The Oberoi, Bengaluru, Lapis, the all-day dining restaurant, the weekday buffet has been discontinued in favour of an à la carte one showcasing three-course meals. Guests can choose dishes from Amritsar, coastal South India, Tuscany, the Levantine and Basque country, each with dedicated vegetarian and meat options. “These regions are all defined, and the choice of dishes from them allows diners to explore well-researched, wholesome food which goes beyond standard multi-cuisine restaurant menus but stop short of a speciality cuisine outlet,” explains Anirban Dasgupta, Executive Chef, The Oberoi, Bengaluru.

Other hotels too, have made changes. At The Ritz-Carlton, Bengaluru’s The Market, the dinner buffet has been replaced with an à la carte menu where every meal is pre-plated. “There’s a noticeable shift from consumption to curation, and guests now value authenticity, provenance, and the kind of culinary narrative that transforms a meal into an experience,” believes Pattabiraman A, Director of Food and Beverage, The Ritz-Carlton, Bengaluru.

Interactive elements

At the Sheraton Grand Palace Indore, an all-vegetarian hotel, the standard Sunday buffet spread at S Cafe now has an interactive element. Locally sourced and exotic ingredients are displayed for guests to choose and have them custom-cooked. In demand are street-style tawa preparations, tandoor roasts, stir-fries with regional Indian spices and gravies, all in keeping with the city’s penchant for favouring Indian food while dining out. 

Aslam Gafoor, Bengaluru-based hospitality professional, says that the novelty in all-day dining is also built in through small, deliberate touches— curated buffets during off-peak hours, interactive open kitchens, greater emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and regional specials. “However, some lifestyle hotels are experimenting more boldly. AnnaMaya at Andaz Delhi blends an artisan market with a restaurant, and Soho House Mumbai’s all-day café model feels closer to a standalone restaurant,” Gafoor adds.

For these restaurants, it comes down to balancing novelty with their no-fail predictability. Some may opt for small, yet thoughtful touches like the chef’s special pass-around service during breakfast at Long & Short Bistro at the InterContinental Marine Drive, Mumbai or may introduce programmes like Aujasya by The Leela, a wellness initiative, where specially curated health-focused dishes are woven into the breakfast à la carte and buffet offerings. 

“We want to change the paradox of all-day dining spaces being perceived as elevated banquet halls with predictable food,” says Dasgupta. “At Lapis, we continue to tweak operationally. For example, at first, guests had to navigate a huge à la carte menu to choose their three courses. This was time-consuming. We curated four set menus, and the response improved,” Dasgupta explains.

Quest for elevated experiences 

Bengaluru-based Debolina Ray, food and travel blogger, feels that today, hotel restaurant prices are competitive and comparable to many standalone places, so guests expect an elevated experience. “A challenge is that hotel restaurants don’t always advertise or market themselves as actively as standalones, and that visibility is key to attracting diners, in-house and local guests. In Bengaluru, the choice for a night out may be Toit or Olive Beach, but not a hotel bar, unless it has a separate identity like Copitas of Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru or ZLB23 at The Leela Palace Bengaluru, which have each built a distinct brand identity, with guest shifts, independent social media marketing or via events and collaborations. When hotels offer quality and creative experiences, they attract in-house guests and become dining destinations for the city’s locals,” she adds.

“For Pune locals, the restaurant has become a point of pride, a place to bring guests and share dishes that are deeply rooted in the region’s heritage,” says General Manager, Supreet Roy, of their all-day dining restaurant Feast at the Sheraton Grand Pune Bund Garden Hotel. He was inspired by his own travels and culinary expectations to add a Maharashtrian section to the standard buffet in 2023. Kolhapuri cooks make local delicacies like Saoji Chicken, Tambda and Pandhara Rassa, Kolhapuri Mutton and Masaledar Jhinga, using freshly ground spices and traditional methods. The result? “We found domestic and international guests gravitating towards the Maharashtrian counter, often with a steaming cup of Puneri Chai (a strong, milky tea). They ask questions while watching Bhakri being made and are drawn to the simplicity of these family recipes. Several returning international corporate clients say they enjoyed discovering hyper-local dishes at this counter,” Roy explains. 

Changes, yes, but enough?

Hotels are responding to market dynamics, and the constant demand for something new. As we future-gaze, changes in all-day dining offerings may seem few and far between, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed among guests. 

“Pass-arounds, pre-plated meals, cafe-style set-ups, live counters with local dishes—as a diner, I appreciate these changes. They make the experience feel more curated and premium rather than formulaic,” says Ritcha Verma, Co-founder, 11 Eleven Communications, Mumbai, a regular guest at the city’s star hotel all-day dining restaurants. “Personally, I expect consistency in food and service when dining with clients, because reliability matters. When with family and friends, my expectation shifts to wanting a mix of global cuisines, live counters, great desserts, and drinks so everyone feels indulged. I look for a place that’s equal parts dependable and aspirational,” she says.

“Dependability is the all-day dining restaurant’s biggest strength. Guests know they can get breakfast in the morning or a club sandwich at midnight. While buffets still have a stronghold in leisure-heavy destinations like Goa, Jaipur, and Kochi, many city hotels are moving away from sprawling, one-size-fits-all spreads. Occupancy numbers, operational costs and food waste are some major factors,” says Gafoor.

It is interesting times for the diner who knows that if the urge for a lamb burger and coffee hits at midnight, a star hotel’s all-day dining will not disappoint. Yet, if one wants to sample an à la carte or prix fixe, or know a new city by the classics on a menu, all-day dining is still the answer.