DISHOOM ANNOUNCES REOPENING PLANS AND A REVISED APPROACH TO RESERVATIONS
The Dishoom team are extremely happy to announce that they will (slowly and safely) begin to welcome guests back to the cafés from next week. Starting on Friday 10th July, the phased plan will see the gradual reopening of Dishoom’s cafés in London, Manchester and Edinburgh throughout July (kindly read on for a full schedule), culminating in the launch of Dishoom Birmingham (further plans and particulars for which will be announced very soon).
Guests can expect the same big-hearted team, offering the warmest welcome back, and serving
a menu of first-class Bombay comfort food and award-winning drinks, in beautiful (albeit slightly
adjusted) spaces.
As part of their measures to keep everyone safe during the time of coronavirus, Dishoom have (for a
limited time) opened reservations for groups of up to six at any time of day, including evenings.
Reservations are now open for July (in line with the reopening schedule outlined below) and can be made at www.dishoom.com/reservations. Bookings for August will open in due course – eager guests can subscribe to the Dishoom newsletter for updates www.dishoom.com/newsletter.
Meanwhile, for those who are more comfortable at home, Dishoom will continue to offer a range of
options, including their newly-invented Bacon Naan Roll Kits, which are now available for nationwide
delivery.
This, and all sorts of Dishoom gifts intended for at-home enjoyment, can be found on the
Dishoom online store: www.dishoom.com/store. A short menu of café classics will continue to be offered
for delivery in a number of London neighbourhoods, full details of which can be found at
www.dishoom.com/order-online.
Reopening the cafés
Dishoom will reopen cafés gradually over the coming weeks, in line with the following schedule:
• Dishoom Shoreditch, King’s Cross and Carnaby and Dishoom Manchester will open on
Friday 10th July.
• Dishoom Edinburgh will open a week later, on Friday 17th July.
• Dishoom Kensington will open a further week after that, on Friday 24th July.
• The family’s newest member, Dishoom Birmingham, was mid-way through its launch prior to
lockdown. Launch activity will resume shortly, including the planned soft launch with 50% off food –
plans and particulars will be announced very soon.
• Dishoom Covent Garden remains closed for the completion of the café’s redesign.
All cafés will observe the usual opening hours, providing patrons with everything from breakfast and mid morning chai, to lunch and afternoon tipples, right through to evening feasts and late-night snacks.
A revised (and interim) approach to reservations as part of Dishoom’s measures to keep everyone safe during the time of coronavirus, the cafés are now taking reservations for groups of up to six at any time of day, including evenings. Walk-ins will always be welcome, but booking is particularly recommended for busy times such as evenings and weekends.
This is clearly a significant change to how the team runs the restaurant, but they believe it makes sense for now. They are trialling reservations for the month of July only (in line with the opening dates above), via www.dishoom.com/reservations. In due course, they will likely open up reservations for August onwards in a short while, to be announced via the Dishoom newsletter – guests can subscribe at www.dishoom.com/newsletter.
A note on health and safety Dishoom have been working closely with some of the leading safety specialists, and with their guidance have created comprehensive Dishoom corona safety standards. These include new roles, policies, processes and equipment back and front of house, visible and less visible (in some areas, well beyond government guidance) to make sure their restaurants have the highest standards of health and safety at this time.
Guests can expect the same warm hospitality from the same big-hearted team (they have managed to keep everyone’s jobs through this time). However, every part of the experience has been carefully assessed, and some will be slightly different. The cafés will operate with fewer tables, and Dishoom’s trusted team of designers have introduced additional screens and furniture to enhance safety and support physical distancing throughout the restaurants.
Guests who can’t be seated immediately may be asked to wait outside in a carefully managed and safely distanced queue. Once inside the café, there will be extra guidance to help guests navigate and stay safe. Some changes in service are also to be expected –Dishoom’s Permit Room bars, for example, will offer table service only, and new systems for reservations and contactless pay-at-table options have been introduced. Additional cleaning processes will be in place, along with industry-leading air filtration systems in all the cafés. More details on these extensive safety standards can be found at www.dishoom.com/safety.
All sorts of ways to enjoy Dishoom at home for those not yet able to return to Dishoom, there are many ways to get a Bombay comfort food fix at home. Dishoom will continue to offer delivery in a number of London neighbourhoods – patrons can check the eligibility of their postcode for delivery at www.dishoom.com/order-online. Orders for collection from the café will, sadly, not be accepted for the moment.
Additionally, Dishoom’s recently launched Bacon Naan Roll Kit, which provides all the requisite ingredients and know-how for recreating this café classic at home (with chai!) is now available for nationwide delivery. It can be ordered via the Dishoom online store, which is also replete with other gifts, including the team’s first-ever cookery book, “Dishoom: From Bombay with Love”, the much-loved album of Bombay-London hits, “Slip Disc”, and gift coins that can be redeemed in the cafés at any date in the future. Kindly visit www.dishoom.com/store for details.
