Queer cafes are giving freedom to LGBTQUIA community to be themselves without any fear

The F&B industry has always been very competitive but microbreweries face a compelling challenge: evolve beyond being mere producers of craft beer or fade into irrelevance. As someone who has witnessed global F&B trends across multiple markets, I've observed that the most successful microbreweries no longer define themselves solely by what's in the glass, but by the holistic experience they deliver to consumers.

The Experience Economy Takes Hold: The craft beer revolution that swept across the United States and Europe has firmly established itself in emerging markets like India, where discerning consumers now expect more than just quality beverages. This shift mirrors what economists Joseph Pine and James Gilmore identified decades ago as the "experience economy" – a progression from selling goods to staging experiences that engage customers on a personal level. Today's consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, place higher value on memorable experiences than material possessions. This fundamental shift demands that microbreweries transform into multidimensional destinations that captivate all senses and foster genuine connections.

Community Hubs in a Digital Age: Perhaps counterintuitively, our increasingly digital world has heightened the desire for authentic, in-person social experiences. Successful microbreweries have recognized this opportunity, positioning themselves as community gathering spaces where meaningful interactions flourish naturally. The most forward-thinking establishments design environments specifically engineered to facilitate conversation and connection. Strategic seating arrangements, acoustic considerations, and thoughtful lighting create spaces where people feel comfortable lingering. These design elements aren't merely aesthetic choices – they represent deliberate business strategies that extend visit duration and increase average check size.

Differentiation Through Place-Making: In urban centers worldwide, where competition is fierce, microbreweries must develop distinctive personalities that transcend their beverage offerings. The concept of "place-making" – creating venues with strong identities that resonate emotionally with guests – has become essential. Leading examples incorporate regional elements into their spaces, from locally-sourced construction materials to artwork from neighborhood artists. This approach not only distinguishes the venue visually but also embeds the business within the cultural fabric of its community. The microbrewery becomes not just a place to drink, but a proud representation of local identity.

Programming: The Fourth Dimension: Entertainment programming has emerged as a crucial differentiator for microbreweries seeking to maximize their appeal beyond beer enthusiasts. Live music performances, comedy shows, art exhibitions, and educational brewing sessions transform one-dimensional venues into dynamic cultural spaces. The strategic implementation of programming serves multiple business objectives: attracting diverse customer segments, creating additional revenue streams, and establishing the brewery as a destination worthy of planned visits rather than spontaneous drop-ins. The most sophisticated operators carefully curate their event calendars to align with their brand positioning and target demographic profiles.

Inclusive by Design: Traditional drinking establishments often inadvertently exclude significant consumer segments. Modern microbreweries recognize this limitation and intentionally design experiences that welcome broader audiences. Comprehensive food menus that accommodate various dietary preferences, non-alcoholic beverage options, and family-friendly spaces during appropriate hours significantly expand the potential customer base. This inclusive approach represents both a values statement and a shrewd business strategy. By creating environments where diverse groups feel welcome, microbreweries position themselves as accessible gathering places for entire communities rather than niche establishments serving narrow demographics.

Narrative as Competitive Advantage: In today's market, where technical brewing excellence has become expected rather than exceptional, brand storytelling provides crucial differentiation. Consumers increasingly care about the values, history, and people behind the products they consume. Effective microbreweries craft compelling narratives around their founding principles, ingredient sourcing philosophies, and community engagement initiatives. These stories, when authentically communicated through physical spaces, digital channels, and staff interactions, create emotional connections that foster loyalty beyond product attributes alone.

The Innovation Imperative: Finally, successful microbreweries understand that stagnation represents their greatest threat. Regular introduction of seasonal offerings, experimental brewing techniques, and cross-industry collaborations create perpetual novelty that rewards repeat visitation. The most astute operators recognize that innovation must extend beyond product development to encompass all aspects of the customer experience. From contactless ordering systems to immersive tasting formats, technological and experiential innovations demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement that resonates with modern consumers.

In an era where experiences trump products, microbreweries that successfully transform into multidimensional destinations will thrive while those clinging to outdated production-centric models risk obsolescence. The future belongs to those who recognize that they're not merely selling beer – they're crafting memories.

Ex-Costa Coffee India CEO Tarun Jain has joined Tim Hortons as India CEO.

“Happy to announce that I have joined Tim Hortons India as C.E.O. Extremely excited to be a part of this team and help lead it to the next phase of its growth in the market,” he shared in the Linkedin post earlier this moring.

Before joining Tim Hortons this April, Jain was part of Devyani International Limited for 5 years, leading its Costa Coffee Business in India.

A seasoned and result oriented food and beverage operator with over 27 years of experience, Tarun was also part of Nando’s India, The Beer Café and Lite Bite Foods to name a few.

Tim Hortons entered India last year as part of an exclusive agreement with a joint venture entity owned by Apparel Group and Gateway Partners.

Hard Rock® has announced the opening of the brand's 8th Hard Rock Cafe® in India.

The new Hard Rock Cafe® is located at Janpath Road, Connaught Place in New Delhi.

Often referred to as CP, the chic promenade is buzzing with multiple shops, restaurants, and tourists. The location, just like the brand Hard Rock® has a legacy and history to boast of.

The 6254-square-foot outlet, accommodating up to 122 guests, includes areas across two floors and a stage for live entertainment. The first storey is the starting point of the customer journey. The entry door speaks of the overall design with a feature guitar shape door handle. The double-height lobby sets the tone, featuring a Rock shop filled with unique style clothing and accessories. Hard Rock’s world-renowned Rock Shop, located within the cafe, offers a rock-star shopping experience for collectors and fans, carrying music-inspired merchandise like classic tees, caps, pins, glassware, and accessories.

“As a music aficionado and gastronome, I am excited to bring the authentic HRC experience back to the capital. We are confident that Delhi will revel in Hard Rock Cafe's well-curated line-up of musicians and global flavors. The best thing about Hard Rock Cafe as a brand is that all age groups enjoy the format. We are demographic agnostic in that sense. The fact that we are located on a high street and not a mall bodes well for the HRC experience,” shared Paritosh Ladhani, Franchise Owner, of Hard Rock Cafe New Delhi.

Guests at the Hard Rock Cafe® New Delhi get to take a walk along the memorabilia walls, which display a series of iconic memorabilia from legendary musicians around the globe. From Bobby Brown’s shoes that were designed by the R&B singer himself to Shakira’s black bra that was worn during her 2011 Sale El Sol tour, from Elton John’s platform shoes worn during his live ’Daniel’ music video to Ray Dorset’s red leather ankle boots; Hard Rock Cafe New Delhi has its walls adorned with these priceless possessions that have been donated by the rock legends themselves to the Hard Rock®.

“We are glad that New Delhi - India is now an official member of the Hard Rock Cafe® family. We are ready to make a positive impact on the hospitality industry and brand standards. We bring the spirit and philosophy of the brand to a country rich in musical and food traditions by presenting a modern vision of a remarkable restaurant.” added Tom Perez, Vice President of Franchise Operations, at Hard Rock International.

At Hard Rock Cafe® New Delhi, guests are provided with a selection of authentic flavours with the freshest high-quality ingredients from Hard Rock’s menu, featuring the Original Legendary® Burger from the Signature Steak Burgers series, mouthwatering Specialty Entrees, Bar Bites, a selection of salads, sandwiches, and desserts. The cafe also offers a variety of beverages, from draft beers and wines, and handcrafted cocktails including Hard Rock’s signature Hurricane Cocktail to Alternative Rock alcohol-free selections.

The Delhi outpost would also have local items like Thela Chaat, Rara Chicken, and Biryani along with classic American dishes.

The coffee culture in India is undergoing a revolution like never before. It’s exciting and it brings us a lot of hope. Now, more than ever, people in India are curious about their coffee. There’s growing knowledge, and growing interest in understanding coffee. People understand the difference between good coffee and bad coffee. They understand the various brews and are increasingly trying hand at home brewing. Started in 2017, Roastery Coffee has grown into an speciality tea café in all these years. Inspired by the founder Nishant Sinha’s travels to the coffee farms in india, this café is brewed on the mantra of ‘Farm to Cup’. Excerpts from the interview:

When did you first think of starting a coffee chain? What was the whole idea?

I have been in the Indian coffee industry for 17 years now. I have also been a consumer, I love coffee, have always loved cafés. Plus, I’m a gypsy at heart. I have travelled across India and abroad. My travels to the coffee farms in India were an eye opener. I knew we were growing very good coffee in the farms and surprisingly, there was a demand for good coffee as well. But somehow the coffees we were growing were never being consumed by us. Our coffees were always exported. It was a case of missing link and lack of knowledge. I learnt everything about coffee, from the farm level to the point where it’s served to you - My passion for coffee was stronger than before. That led to introducing a coffee brand.

How do you see the segment brewing in the last 5 years that you are into the business?

The segment has grown in leaps and bounds. The best thing has been the availability of a wide range of coffees. As a consequence of which, there’s been widespread awareness about coffee, various brews and estates. In the future, we will see even more growth, more brands taking up coffee, brewing equipment etc. We as a field will be making a lot of progress.

We have seen that from global tea cafes like Starbucks, Costa Coffee and now Tim Hortons hitting the Indian markets. How do home grown coffee chains beat that competition, meanwhile serving the best from them?

Home grown brands have their own separate consumer base that is also loyal. Home grown brands have an edge in their home ground. We know our consumers, we can connect with them. There is no competition as such. We are brewing Indian coffee which is one of world’s best shade grown coffees and we also understand Indian coffee better than international brands. One of the reasons being how closely we have been working with the farmers since our inception.

How India has seen a Spike in the per capita consumption of coffee over the last 10 years?

India is definitely drinking more coffee than ever before. In Roastery Coffee itself, we are selling at least three times more coffee than the year we first introduced. The one thing that gives us a lot of confidence is the rapidly increasing sales of coffee beans for home consumption.

From where do you source the best coffee for your cafes/ packaged products?

We source our beans from some of India’s best farms. Most of our coffee comes from down south in Chikmagalur. However, one of our best-selling coffee called The Tribe-O Project is from the Koraput hills of Odisha.

Also, how have you designed the menu thinking of coffee as your beverage option?

Our menu is elaborate and inclusive. We have something for everyone. Besides Continental and American, we serve gourmet Italian as well. We have Vegan choices and an array of dishes for health watchers.

You now operate 5 cafes in different cities. How do you decide on location as we see you are not bombarding with numbers rather expanding at a very slow pace. Why so?

Roastery Coffee House takes pride in redefining cafés. Until Roastery arrived, cafés used to be quaint little spaces with extremely limited seating. All our cafés are at least 4000 square feet big. We have both indoor and outdoor seating options. Our spaces are aesthetically pleasing because we take a long time in designing our spaces. This takes time. Although, we wouldn’t describe our growth as slow. We are five cafés strong, are present in five cities and we only took five years to reach here.

What’s your expansion plan? (entering new cities, regions, product categories?

We see our brand entering new cities and towns across India. With respect to products, we have several plans. The first one being introducing new estates. We are constantly working to improve coffee experience, making it more consumer friendly. There is a host of ideas that are being run at the moment and we are also close to launching quite a few of them.

Recently, we saw one of the tea brands partnering with a beer chain to launch a mixed product. Any innovation in that space?

We are always welcoming towards such collaborations. We invite every new upcoming brand to approach us with their ideas. Our collaborations aren’t limited to products only, we collaborate with start-ups to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit.

5 trends that you see will change the Indian food business.

Definitely more coffee, specialty coffee! Home brewing will increase. Refined tastes. Healthier choices.

Deja Brew, a hybrid brew lounge serving freshest beer and finest coffee, has launched its first outlet in Greater Kailash 2, New Delhi.

With a calming and intimate ambience, Deja Brew is the perfect place to start off with an invigorating espresso and finish off with a mug of frothy goodness, i.e., craft beer!

To enrich the experience, the coffees that customers will be sipping and savouring boast a premium taste with pure extracts and a rich natural flavour. Besides, and best of all, the craft beer here is a creation of the House of MOB (Ministry of Beer), Delhi’s first microbrewery, a sure guarantee of quality.

Another highlight of this Brew Lounge is that patrons get a chance to light up, because, also on the menu here are the finest cigars known to man—giving you further reason to make a beeline to Deja Brew.

In order to add on to the experience, Deja Brew offers wines, single malts, and other spirits along with beers and coffee, to pair with the premium cigars. The Brew Lounge features customised music in the personal dining room, and aims to welcome its guests to Modern-Inspired World Cuisine, brought to you with the specially curated menu.

“The brewhouse offers the freshest beer and finest coffee along with an extensive menu with the addition of a Deja Brew flair. The food offered includes world delicacies with creamy and fiery flavours, be it European, Indian or Italian, splashed with an evident Deja Brew twist,” shared Brand Delegate, Kratika Gupta.

The café has also introduced a “Cigar and Conversations” private zone, for which they have created a cigar lounge too!

Naveen Sachdeva, an F&B icon and the brains behind Cherish Hospitality, synergised this concept along with Parth Chadha and Aashish Goyal.

Being a pioneer of this concept, Deja Brew will be aiming to make its mark in a city and region known for its lively F&B action.

The brand is looking to scale up its model and is targeting six outlets in prominent localities in Delhi-NCR.

BYOB or BYO is an acronym coined with respect to alcoholic beverages that means "bring your own bottle" or "bring your own booze" or "bring your own beer”. The most common one though is to bring your own BOOZE.

Initially, this was used for private parties and events where usually the host or the organizer did not want to invest in alcoholic beverages (for obvious reasons) but they were okay if the guests wanted to carry their own bottle of liquor. In the west this is a very common thing, during house parties guests would generally carry a bottle of wine or scotch and the table would end up having a variety of alcohol which is then enjoyed by all the guests collectively.

It’s a great concept in a lot of ways, for instance, it takes down the cost of hosting a party or an event down drastically, a lot of times this also means no license is needed, and for the event audience, they don’t have to buy unnecessarily expensive booze.

The concept is now unfolding into many other formats, for instance, there is a restaurant in the north of India, and during winter they encourage their customers to BYOB - ‘Bring their Own Blankets So there are definitely a lot of ways in which restaurants, cafes, and pubs are adopting this idea.

A newly found cafe in Pune, Mauji Time Cafe has taken this to another level where they call themselves India’s first BYO cafe (Bring your Own) and they allow you to even bring your own food. This normally is against restaurant or cafe policies, where outside food is not allowed. But since Mauji is a Time Cafe, they charge their customers for the time they are spending, hence allowing food from outside if the customer wants. 

There is also a bar in Delhi that allows customers to bring their own alcohol and provide the peripherals like water/soda, chakna, etc that people usually need with alcohol. There is also a place that allows you to store your bottle and enjoy it every time you visit that restaurant.

Cafe Industry is constantly evolving and has become even more experimental post-COVID. It’s no more about just great food and beverage but equally about unique experiences and great hospitality.

To summarize here are my 5 reasons why we are seeing more and more BYOB cafes coming up:

- It’s an interesting concept and adds to the uniqueness of any cafe/restaurant
- Allows the restaurants/cafe to offer alcoholic beverages without actually allowing it or having to keep a stock
- Takes down the capital investment drastically, stocking a variety of alcoholic beverage can be very expensive
- The customers can enjoy their preferred beverage at regular prices instead of having to pay 30-50% more
- It takes away the hassle of licensing in many cases, getting a license and renewals can be both expensive and extremely tedious

So pave way for the BYOB revolution! It's here to stay and evolve your dining or cafe experience in many ways.

From being just a beverage option, to becoming favourite morning drink, coffee in India has grown to new heights. Needless to say, the coffee sector in the country is growing at a significant rate with the market expected to grow annually by 7.2% CAGR in 2021 - 2025. In fact, in the last couple of years, we have seen huge transformations in the market where superior taste, quality, innovative brewing techniques along with unique flavours are drawing the business for coffee brands.

Today, Indians do not look at coffee as just a filter coffee or ‘Kaapi’ to go with their morning breakfast, coffee these days are more experiential, locally grown, sustainable and what not. From international brands like Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Di Bella to Indian home grown brands like Café Coffee Day, Coffee Culture, Araku Coffee to Blue Tokai and Rage Coffee, the sector has also seen a deep interest from investors.

Also Read: This coffee-startup clocked a four-fold increase in sales during lockdown

Not just a trend!

While International coffee day is an occasion to celebrate and promote coffee as a beverage, it is also important to highlight the issues related to it. For example, fair trade and the plight of coffee growing communities. International coffee chain Starbucks that is also celebrating its 50^th anniversary this week has taken a bold aspiration to be a resource positive company, to take less and give more to the planet in every aspect of its business – including coffee. In March, Starbucks announced coffee-specific environmental goals to achieve carbon neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50 percent by 2030.

Starbucks purchases coffee from more than 400,000 farmers in 30 countries around the world and is committed to a sustainable future of coffee for all. The company believes it has a responsibility to care for the entire supply chain and the many people who make coffee possible, from seed to cup, farmer to customer.

Similarly, Costa Coffee has launched a trial of a new blockchain technology-powered reusable cup scheme called BURT. BURT – which stands for ‘Borrow, Use, Reuse, Take Back’ – builds on Costa Coffee’s work to improve the sustainability of its cups and packaging by utilising innovative digital technology, seeking to shift consumer behaviour towards reuse. The trial launches on 29^th September across 14 stores in Glasgow, the home of COP26, and will last for six months.

Costa Coffee will be using the trial to gain feedback from customers and learn about uptake and behaviour towards reusable cups. It will then use its findings to optimise and develop a scheme that will roll out more widely across the UK in phases.

What’s happening in India

Not just cafes but India has also seen a rapid growth in coffee production and manufacture. Brands like Rage Coffee, Araku, Blue Tokai are doing a fab job when it comes to giving an exceptional product to the ever growing Indian customer. As per reports the ~INR7000cr Indian packaged coffee segment is dominated by incumbents with two players - Nestle and HUL (Nescafe &Bru) - controlling over 65% market share of the industry and this is a good time for homegrown brands to tap the market.

“Along with our constant effort to innovate and launch innovative new offerings and trend setting products, we are planning to expand our distribution network. It is also our vision to grow our revenues by 5x and reach over 3000 retailers by the end of 2021 and be a leader in building true omni-channel presence in our category,” shared Bharat Sethi of Rage Coffee in an interview that is targeting 16-35 years old who have already identified coffee as their go-to beverage.

On the other hand, Gurgaon-based coffee startup Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters that raised Rs 17 crore in pre-series B bridge round led by Anicut Angel Fund, is aiming to launch new products, execute farm-level interventions to improve quality, expand internationally and for marketing.

May Interest: Anicut Angel Fund invests Rs 17 cr in Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters

“Cafes were an important part of that mission, but like many brands, Covid-19 completely upended the economics of that business. We were fortunate to already have a strong D2C (direct-to-customer) presence and by refocusing our efforts on our online sales channels, we’ve been able to grow our revenue nearly 50 per cent more than our pre-Covid peak,” said Matt Chitharanjan, Co-founder, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters that started selling its coffee online and through B2B partnerships.

Hence, we can say that there is much more that is brewing in coffee segment this year!

To add to Mumbai’s unmatched culinary scene, Plush Café enters the space by launching its floral-themed café in Bandra.

Founded by 22-year-old Palak Shah, along with her partner Mazhar Dalvi, Plush Cafe is located in the heart of Bandra and its city’s first floral-themed cafe.

The decor of the eatery boasts of flowers that have been specially imported from Thailand. Apart from the interiors, a lot of effort has been invested in every aspect of the cafe — from the unique cutlery to the special coffee selection.

While Palak hails from a creative background, the idea of this cafe germinated while she was studying in London. “We have relentlessly worked for about 14 hours a day for the last one year to put this place together. Plush means posh yet minimal in its approach and that’s what reflects in the vibe of our cafe. We spent over a year working on the intricacies of the cafe, from the selection of flowers and importing them from Thailand to purchasing the furniture, curating the menu, finalising the packaging design, staffing, purchasing the cutlery, finalising the interiors and even coffee bean selection,” said Palak, who’s an internationally published author.

This pretty cafe will have several unique food varieties to offer to its patrons, including vegetarian, non vegetarian, vegan as well as keto options. The menu comprises a host of healthy food options, including protein bowls, spinach-based wraps, whole wheat pizzas and pasta, carb-free carrot puttanesca pasta, salmon bagel and more.

For the ones with a sweet tooth, Plush Cafe offers unique varieties like the milkshakes with candy floss, rose and pistachio flavoured pull-me-up cakes, chunky panna cotta and more.

Plush Cafe serves from 9 am to 4 pm and has an unconventional breakfast spread on offer, with a range of eggs, salads, grilled bagels and bagel sandwiches to choose from. 

Talking about his first food venture, Mazhar, who is a famous name in the real estate circle in Mumbai and hails from Bandra added, “We have spent several hours in the last one year to conceptualise our cafe. It’s a cosy place, where you can walk in and have a great time. The food options are really interesting and we hope everyone enjoys the place as much as we did while putting it together. My only direction to my partner was to recreate standards in the F&B business, which she has managed to do quite well with the different kinds of dishes that Plush serves, the plating and presentation and the interiors of the cafe.”

Gone are the days of black-tie affairs and over the top dining; it’s time to enjoy food in its truest form—casual and comfortable, yet still chic.

Bringing the finest of age-old cuisine, albeit with a new-age twist to Thane is none other than the freshly revamped Masaledaar Modern India kitchen And Bar! 

Launched by the brainchild behind The Thane Club and curator of the famous LoveLeaf restaurant, Niketa Sharma, Masaledaar offers a brilliant present-day perspective on our desi wholesome cuisine—one that seamlessly balances the two sides of the spectrum. Bathed in regal colors of the sea, teals, whites, and summery blues, the divine restaurant and kitchen complements Thane Club’s sweeping crystal blue waters of the pool.

“Thane has always been home to up and coming restaurants, with its beautiful expanse and lively crowd. At the Thane Club, our aim has always been to bring the best of the best right here. With the launch of the newly redesigned Masaledaar, we hope to continue to fulfill people’s wishes to try out new varieties of food and find a place to make all their memories,” shared Niketa Sharma, CEO Thane Club and Chief Curator, Masaledaar Modern Indian Kitchen and Bar.

Masaledaar is helmed by Chef Gaurav, known for his stints at Masala Library, Farzi Cafe, and Punjab Grill, and his inimitable ability to convert a known dish into a culinary miracle.

There’s no denying that the restaurant and nightlife industry is bleeding since the time pandemic hurt the country. From one in every four restaurants closed in top cities in India to many still wondering if they would be able to survive the next wave, almost 25-30 per cent restaurants and bars in the country have shut shop permanently.

Also if we look at data, as per experts, 90 per cent of the restaurants in the country are operated on lease of which 20 per cent of the organised restaurants are located in malls, and the remaining on high streets and commercial areas. Depending upon the format, restaurants pay anywhere between 15 and 30 per cent of their income towards rentals. Some restaurants pay an extra 5-6 per cent of CAM if they are located in malls. CAM costs can be as high as Rs 2.5 lakh per month for a 3,000-sq ft outlet. However, lease cost is the largest fixed cost component for a restaurant besides payroll, and energy expenses, which together account for 20-25 per cent of the overall costs.

May Interest: Can India’s Nightlife Survive Post Corona

With continuous lockdown and phase-wised opening for the sector where restaurants are allowed to operate till 10 pm max, the nightlife industry has been the major victim.

“The definition of nightlife has changed drastically due to the timing restrictions, people are stepping out for a drink earlier than usual and it's more of conversational evening’s rather than high energy dance sessions, shared Manish Sharma of Drunken Botanist who is focusing on things that can be controlled, doing new menus, running attractive offers to lure customers to come out to have a safe dining experience.

For Arpan Gupta who operates two of the most happening bars like AIR and TOs, the business has been really slow since the industry was hit by COVID-19. The nightlife culture and late-night parties had to be almost shut down because the opening hours were limited to 10 pm. Most customers drop by 9 but now that the last order is taken at 9:30 PM, the sector has suffered major losses. “We are trying to host live performances in the evenings to lure guests. And it is worth mentioning that the artists have been very supportive in terms of money. They’ve adjusted well with lesser work hours and pay, which we are very thankful about. We even start the DJ by 6 PM now, which earlier started at 9 PM,” he added by pointing that the brand has transitioned themselves by offering fruit-based drinks and pure juices from mocktails that have artificial flavouring as they want to focus on serving healthier alternatives to make the customers feel safe.

Learnings from the pandemic

No one would ever deny that one of the worst phase in life actually make you the strongest or take you through the greatest innovation of the time. Similarly, we have seen restaurants and bars innovating themselves during these tough times.

“The pandemic has taught us to be adaptive and be ready for changes. None of us could have ever imagined for things to happen the way we did and yet we all bounced back. We are now focused on our food coming up with unique flavors rather than just partying. We are also improving our delivery standards and packaging to make sure that people enjoy the experience even in their house,” pointed Udit Bagga and Udit Bhasin, Co- owners, OTB Courtyard for whom nightlife is not what it used to be. It has changed a lot since the pandemic. People have adjusted and adapted to the restrictions.

Commenting on the same Sharma added “the greatest learning from the pandemic is to always ensure that your over head costs are in check and to save something for times like these.”

May Interest: Marketing it Right: How does the new age restaurant marketing look like

LTO’s to lure customers

Despite the phased opening of restaurants around 30 per cent restaurants in different parts of the country’ are still not operational. Also, places that are opened are coming up ways, methods to get their customers back to a pre-covid level.

“We have come up with daytime offers on food and drinks to lure customers. Most restaurants prefer to promote night offers, but because of the restrictions, we want to focus more on afternoon hours. We are also running ladies’ night and giving FLAT 50% to front-liners like doctors, health workers, army members, etc,” commented Gupta who is also planning to launch another property in Central Delhi under the AIR and TOS brand that will be serving Turkish cuisine. “We wanted to do it last year, but things slowed down because of the pandemic,” he further commented.

From making restaurants and bars a safe place to hang out, they have maintained social distancing, adopted all covid protocols to overcome the losses and make customers find it safe to visit a restaurant.

“Currently, we are running Monsoon offers and a Pizza festival wherein customers can enjoy their favorite pizzas with a side of drinks and appetizers. We try to keep coming up with new LTOs. In winters we come up with warm cocktails, and we have IPL offers during the tournament. We work around the seasons to make sure that there's something new and unique throughout the year,” added Bagga who is planning to open more restaurants and coming with Pan Indian cuisine restaurat National highway 44. “We will start with North Indian cuisine and the focus will also be on deliveries. We are strategizing to be located in high-density areas so that the demand for food is always high,” he added.

May Interest: समय के साथ बार कैसे बदल रहे हैं

Calcutta’s culinary landscape has been witnessing a wave of innovation with unique new spaces opening doors in recent times. The stellar ranks of the city of joy’s exquisite bars and lounges have been adorned with a dazzling new jewel in the crown.

The newly launched BILLIONS is located in the heart of the city on the 1^st floor of Trinity Tower in Topsia.

The magnificently designed ‘uber house’ appeals to Calcutta’s elite and aspiring offering grandiose in its ambience and the spread of global cuisine.

Also Read: Redefining nightlife scene at Kolkata, Vertex – The Liquid Restaurant opens its doors

The restaurant offers a menu that focuses on world cuisine featuring Modern Asian, Modern Indian, American, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian and beyond. DJ Cas, the in-house vibe master sets a high-energy mood at the bar, with foot-tapping music.

The 120 plus seater, spread over a massive, sprawling area of approximately 8500 sq. ft. plus, is divided into 5 unique sections; the extensive dining area – BILLIONS Dining, the magnetic bar-side seating – BILLIONS Bar, a small, cosy, private room for limited groups of guests – BILLIONS PDR, a more spacious and grander private room – BILLIONS Den and the smoking area set in a corner that invites a flood of natural light – BILLIONS Balcony.

“With a deep sense of pride and inexplicable excitement, BILLIONS has been launched as a space that does not shy away from celebrating each one’s worth. I am thrilled to bring to our city a lounge that is entirely new in its perspective and concept. With the experience that I have garnered in the F&B industry, I hope to drive the brand towards heights that inspire,’ shared Devraj Dutt, Founder & Owner, BILLIONS.

May Interest: "Annakoot – God’s Own Cuisine " launches 3rd sattvic restaurant in Delhi

Not to forget the signature currency-themed cocktails brewed up by the in-house mixologist, “The Billionaire”, “The Billions LIIT”,“Candy Crush”, among others, are crafted to cash in a billion rich, exoticflavours for your taste buds, leaving you craving for more. The lounge also offers a selection of ‘craftails’, which are lip-smacking cocktails from the tap!

BILLIONS aims to establish itself more as a lifestyle, a state of mind that the city’s elite connect with and enthusiasts aspire to reach.

The Delhi government announcement regarding restaurants to be allowed to operate 24x7 and the need for a tourism licence and multiple other licences, like the health and trade, issued by the local bodies, to be abolished brought relief to the restaurant operators.

It also announced that the excise rules to allow service in open areas and balconies without extra fees and permit licences for all types of music will be amended. The CM will decide on the application of new uniform fire safety norms. The message sent out to officials clearly mentioned that steps must be taken at the earliest and it was reportedly conveyed that the health licence issued by the civic bodies must be abolished within 10 days. Here are six ways this will help boost the sector:

Allocating more time to business: “We welcome this big news wholeheartedly and are deeply grateful to the Govt of Delhi for giving us some much-needed respite during these testing times. The new license initiative would make the entire process of acquisition much more effective whilst maintaining a thorough check of all norms that need to be followed for the same,” pointed Rohit Aggarwal, Director Lite Bite Foods who has full confidence in the progressive approach of the current govt. that they will meet this endeavour with successful fruition as it has a deadline attached to it. “Furthermore, with more time on our hands, we would be able to allocate greater resources and time to our business, thus helping the hospitality industry to attain its full potential which somewhat got crippled during these hard times,” he added.

Creating a world class food & nightlife destination: There is no denying that opening restaurants 24*7 will help boost the sector and will also help in creating a world class destination. “Restaurant Industry has been under the permit raaj for a long time but this is a welcome move by the Delhi Government. We need to wait how this unfolds but this is indeed a very positive move to make Delhi a world class food & nightlife destination,” shared Vishal Anand, Director, Moonshine Food Ventures who believed that this step will definitely give a much needed boost to the much affected f&b industry and create a positive business environment, which is the need of the hour.

Ease of doing business: “These reforms will defiantly promote ease of doing the business. Having said that, I urge the government to take some further measures to boost the demand in the hospitality industry. This could be achieved in certain ways such as relaxation of GST and easier policies such as the allowance of food trucks and updation of alcohol policies. To fight the current dip it’s very important to find ways to allure consumers, boost their confidence to maintain constant cash flow. However, this is the first step towards many and we hope that the process keeps on becoming easier, helping us in serving the people to the best of our abilities and reviving the industry at large,” added Jatin Mallick, Chef & Co-owner, Tres.

Creating employment: Allowing restaurants to open 24*7 will bring lots of employment opportunities. “This decision will be a game changer for the hospitality industry. Restaurant Industry is one of the most affected industries during the pandemic and this move by the Delhi Government will benefit not only the owners but employees too as it will bring in lots of new employment opportunities specially for the youth and earn a bit extra,” said Nikhil Arora, Co-Founder, The Tummy Section, Delhi.

Will help industry grow, stabilize and sustain: “It is indeed a positive move by the Delhi Government at the much-needed time. These reforms will help the hospitality industry grow, stabilise and sustain. By abolishing the ''permit raj'' it will be easier and faster to get the licenses. We would be able to work in peace and focus on our business rather than being busy half the year acquiring or renewing different licenses,” shared Joy Singh, co-partner, Raasta & Yeti who agreed that promises have been made earlier as well by the previous governments but this time it has a deadline attached to it. The Chief Minister himself made a public announcement, so we are much hopeful for the announced reform. We look forward to the progressive approach of the current government. “With the new structures & norms, the industry will become safer and more productive. We can't wait to take it to the new heights,” he added.

Help in revenue generation: “As much as 2020 is bad for the restaurant industry, this news is overwhelming.  This was much needed as this move will all together change the dynamism of industry. Lots of people work in shifts, hence this move will get us more clientele as well, hence more revenue generation. This will generate more employment. Also this will add charm to the nightlife as well. We will be taking safety measures and more health measures in check so that our staff remains happy,” said Akshay Anand of Ophelia.

Amid all other relaxation that unlock 4.0 announced to revive the economy, opening of bars by the Delhi government was one such move that will help boost the sector.

After a five months hiatus, bars are set to open in the national capital and restaurant owners are all happy to see at least some business coming their way. Though, fast-food restaurants and fine-dining places will still manage to overcome the big loss, bars will suffer the most as their 90 per cent of business is dependent on liquor and only 10 per cent of food that is just an add-on with liquor.

Also Read: Restaurants focus on health and indulgence as it reopens

“This is a much needed move after the pandemic setback. The government should have allowed serving liquor from day one when they allowed dine in to resume,” shared Sagar Garg of Banter bar who is very positive that people want to come and enjoy their time when they step out of their house. “For most of the restaurants, their concept of dining revolves around music , drinks and having a good time,” he added by pointing that it is a long haul when he can see the business rolling back on platform.

In August, the AAP government had permitted the hotels and clubs in the national capital to serve liquor but had ordered the bars to remain shut until further notice. This news comes as a breather for the sector.

May Interest: Hotels, restaurants allowed to open bar, violation may lead to cancellation of excise license

“This is great step as the industry had come to complete halt from march. This will help to revive the industry and also encourage us to re-open businesses where half of the queries that we have been hearing in all these months was about liquor,” shared Tushar Gulati, Owner, Mic drop that is keeping 50% capacity at one time as it is not about the safety of customers but also their staffs who will come in contact with so many people while serving them.

Taking care of the SOPs

Social distancing between tables is what restaurants are concentrating on. They are also planning to check on the quantity of liquor being served on one table.

“Proper sanitisation, social distancing between tables, using disposable crockery, cutlery. Regular temp check of staff, mask. Valet with gloves and mask and sanitising gear and staring before handing over the vehicle are some measures we are taking at our end,” added Gulati who believed that first two month will be really crucial.

All the owners/ staff should be very particular in the following all the sop issued by the government, one small mistake by few restaurant will impact the complete industry and people may avoid going to the bar.  Also, as per the SOP it make get the owners and managers under legal scrutiny and may lead into the cancelation of their excise licence.

Thanks to the DIY kits available, one can now turn into a chef or a mixologist in a jiffy, without stepping out and compromising on the safety aspects. Restaurant and bars are coming up with innovative ideas to make people engaged while they are stuck at home. DIY has been there for long but never got highlighted but as covid-19 took world by surprise and people were confined to their homes this became the experience that people were looking for, which was safe and brought back some sort of normality in their lives. DIY gives them the best of both worlds. Professionally made cocktail mixers and food which they finish at home. Top resto-bars, nightclubs and gastro-pubs are innovating with DIY kits to keep their customers engaged and happy at home.

“Restaurants have to come up with innovative ways in order to stay afloat during this pandemic. We see a lot of house parties happening for the next few months and we know people miss good cocktails the most. Keeping this in mind, we have launched DIY cocktail kits at both Whisky Samba and Kimono at The Chanakya,” shared Vandana Gupta of Kimono at The Chanakya and Whisky Samba whose kits come with a cocktail premix and a chaser of your choice and is priced at 295 onwards. “Customers have to just add the spirit at home. We are doing some interesting fresh flavours like Elderflower basil, Raw mango gingerini, Sichuan bloody mary. We also have healthy options like the low cal berrylicious G&T and Detox smoothies,” added Gupta.

Also, we have seen that people have been very creative amid the lockdown. Most people have been cooking at home and have been looking at ways to spruce up their meals. To tap into this home cooking trend, restaurants have introduced DIY kits for customers to prepare and enjoy at home.

“The response has been good. People are looking for ways to enjoy good meal and drink without much stress at home and we can help them by sending them drinks & food so the stress of preparing is taken away,” said Nitin Tewari of Together at 12^th that is doing around 15 meal experience boxes a week on average and multiple DIY drinks orders.

Moderately priced

Looking at the current scenario, restaurants have priced these kits moderately. And, as people are looking for ways to enjoy good meal and drink without much stress at home restaurants can help them by sending drinks & food so the stress of preparing is taken away. “Though it seems like an alternative nothing can replace the experience one gets in a restaurant or a bar of meeting people and interacting. In a way once can replicate the product but not the experience,” added Tewari who has priced his drinks at 300/- which makes 2-3 portion of drinks and comes with garnish and mixers.

Similarly, Kimono at The Chanakya and Whisky Samba have seen a good response and we they have also seen a demand for hiring professional bartenders for house parties as well. “There are also enquiries for DIY sushi kits for group online sessions, so I am pretty sure that this trend is here to stay,” added Gupta.

Hence, we can say that restaurants have introduced DIY kits for customers to prepare and enjoy at home.

In the current situation of lockdown due to COVID-19 where the majority of the restaurant and F&B industry have stopped their work. There are many brands that are on their toes and giving their best to provide people with their daily necessities and supplies during the hard times of the country and its citizens. One such major industry running for daily essentials and to ease life is the delivery kitchen/stores. The Baker's Dozen is one amongst such brands providing people with their daily bread without any interruptions in its service in this quarantine period. Carrying on the supply and products in such a sensitive time is a great task for every brand as it involves a lot of precautions and safety measures to be taken.

To spread the word on the hard work of every brand Aditi Handa - Co-Founder and Chief Baker at The Baker's Dozen shares her views in an open letter on the "Moral responsibilities of the brand during and post the crisis"

“The current pandemic situation is an extraordinary time for everyone and for every individual. We are all experiencing situations at work and home which we hadn’t planned for or haven’t dealt with earlier in life. At times, I feel as if I am living in a movie, it’s very unreal with lots on highs and lows. Yet it’s true, very true and we need to address it head-on and be supportive to each other as much as we can,” shared Handa.

Handa who comes from a family of freedom fighters grew up listening to real-life stories from her biji (maternal great grand-mother) and nana of how the entire country had united during the freedom struggle; whether it was 5-year-old child distributing pamphlets or a young man following leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel or Bhagat Singh. Women, young and old were on their toes to sew khadi at home to make sure everyone wore desi as part of the Swadeshi Movement. “I found these stories very inspiring as a child. The people of that generation experienced a time of struggle and did their share of duty towards the nation. They developed a value set that was unique to them. I always wondered if we would ever be lucky to serve our nation like that and do something worth being proud of for our nation,” she added.

When the COVID-19 started hitting India, The Baker’s Dozen considered shutting their factory to ensure everyone was safe. They took a 2-day shut down around the Janta Curfew day. “We got calls from our customers in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi to know whether we will be supplying the next set of orders, could we provide contactless delivery and so on. They needed food and I started thinking that if today Indians like us who provide daily essentials would stop producing, we may have a bigger problem on our hands than even COVID 19. We realized that it was our moral responsibility to be able to provide fellow Indians with their basic food requirement. Finally, the chance had come where we could serve our nation similar to how our forefathers had during the freedom struggle,” she said proudly.

The café is operating at a 50% lower capacity, but their entire staff is showing up every day to serve their customers and country.

To provide food The Baker’s Dozen consider it to be their moral responsibility to be able to supply daily essentials at this difficult time our country is going through. Even with limited manpower and lockdown restraints, they are ensuring a consistent supply of bread as much as possible.

To protect their staff is their first & foremost priority and they remain to ensure the utmost hygiene and safety procedures, at their manufacturing set up and at stores, for the staff and their health. “We have ensured the staff that we have at the manufacturing facility have no travel history in the 3 weeks prior to lockdown or interactions with people with one. This means we are working with lower staff strength than usual,” she further shared. The group is also providing them transport to ensure they don’t use any form of public transport. The staff is also working while keeping a safe distance. “We monitor their temperatures and our personnel hygiene protocols are very stringent. Even before the lockdown or Janta curfew was put into action, considering the safety of our store staff and delivery staff, we had started the process of contactless delivery. This meant 2 pre-paid orders, delivery at the entrance of complex or if it’s door-step delivery, then maintaining a safe distance. Our delivery boys are trained to sanitize their hands frequently and use masks. At stores, we have similar sanitation processes as in our factory for personnel hygiene and sanitization of work counters, doors knobs, etc,” shared Handa.

The product to be hygienic, healthy and safe they have always believed to make a product that is hygienic, healthy, natural. This runs in the blood of every employee at TBD. The sanitation process of their equipment and facility is very stringent to ensure the product has the highest hygiene standard.

Training our staff to be extra cautious and washing their hands even more frequently at this time, wasn’t a task at all… simply because they are already so used to following the highest standards of maintaining health and hygiene.

Also, they have only a select few people who are allowed to touch the product post-baking until it's been packed in the inert atmosphere in the special barrier packaging film that they use. The staff that is in contact maintains hygienic protocols of covering their arms and hands, sanitization of work surfaces the product is on, wearing marks, etc.

During this period, every company is coming up with efficient ways of working due to a lack of manpower. Their delivery mechanisms on the sales-end are becoming more efficient by doing bulk deliveries in areas or complexes. Such practices bring about a lot of operational efficiency for the brand and the customer. “It is our job to ensure we can follow such practices post COVID too. We need to spend time and resources on developing customer awareness in the arising need for simplifying lifestyle choices and streamlining our lives,” said the chef and restaurateur.

“And finally, I am thankful that we are guided by such a thoughtful and supportive team of employees and associates who have proven to be the very best through all of their efforts, advice and have stood by every decision made by us. Throughout this harrowing experience, I have been inspired by all of you. Even in the worst of circumstances, I’ve seen the very best of us. There is undoubtedly more uncertainty and tough decisions ahead of us for the upcoming days. And we will tackle them as a team, with a wide range of voices and perspectives that will make us stronger,” she concluded.

For much of March, the threat of COVID-19 grew as the infection spread. On March 16, that problem became very real for thousands of restaurant operators and millions of employees, beginning a period unlike anything the industry has ever seen. The business may never be the same for these restaurant and bar operators.

Restaurants, bars and night clubs are closed in India for more than a month now in the wake of the spreading coronavirus outbreak. The industry is going through a very tough time where they are unsure about the recovery as it will be very difficult for them to recover through this loss.

Looking at global scenario, we have seen that restaurants in top country’s like the US, China and the Middle East are already facing a hit wherein we have seen many restaurants either closing their door or re-branding themselves to a compact and feasible model to overcome corona hit.

"Nightlife industry or any restaurant is all about socializing and networking. But due to the current pandemic, social distancing is one the precaution to be followed. There would be a lot of sectors which would be affected but sectors like F&B and travel would be directly affected,” shared Rachit Goel - Owner of Vu-The PentHouse Bar, Bunta Bar as working with all the precautions to be taken like sanitizing the place, maintaining the social distancing, screening of all the customers, staff check would be a challenge for all the restaurants and Bars.

Adding to the same Taarun V Jain, Owner of Gourmet Hub and Legend Group said, “The Nightlife Industry will undergo vast change post Corona Lockdown. We are working on post-lockdown strategies. There will be a lot of precautionary measures which will be followed.  People wouldn't be feeling safe to come at crowded night places. It will be really difficult to make people aware regarding the measures which the staff will be taking.”

The experts also believed that two metre table distance rule would be followed in the future. Overall hygiene and sanitisation needs to be followed. “It would take time, but sooner the situation will be fine cause people would want to party and dine out eventually,” added Jain.

According to experts, 90 per cent of the restaurants in the country are operated on lease of which 20 per cent of the organised restaurants are located in malls, and the remaining on high streets and commercial areas. Depending upon the format, restaurants pay anywhere between 15 and 30 per cent of their income towards rentals. Some restaurants pay an extra 5-6 per cent of CAM if they are located in malls. CAM costs can be as high as Rs 2.5 lakh per month for a 3,000-sq ft outlet. However, lease cost is the largest fixed cost component for a restaurant besides payroll, and energy expenses, which together account for 20-25 per cent of the overall costs.

For a large chain, the hit has been more severe as compared to standalone operators. Also, there is chances that approximately, 50 per cent restaurants will be shut post covid.

"No doubt it would be a difficult time, but we are trying our best to still remain connected with our customers through social media campaigns. We are already training our staff virtually regarding sanitisation and hygiene. We are working on a lot of strategies so that customers feel safe. Eventually we are planning to reduce the number of tables. As people continue to avoid crowded places post corona lockdown, the hospitality sector will encounter slow recovery,” added Arpan Gupta, Owner of An Ivory Region and Take Off Scarlet.

TGI Fridays will not be going public after an investment company backed out of a planned $380 million merger last week, according to federal regulatory filings.

Allegro Merger, a shell company that agreed to take the casual-dining chain public in a reverse merger late last year, opted to back out of the deal and return money to shareholders.

Allergo cited extraordinary market conditions and the failure to meet necessary closing conditions as the reason for back-out.

According to reports, the merger collapse will likely generate significant questions about the restaurant chain, which struggled with steeply falling same-store sales going into the merger and had $371 million in debt, according to regulatory filings.

In late March, Allegro secured an extension of the timeline for absorbing Fridays. The original deadline of March 31 was extended to April 30, but Allegro opted not to wield the extension, according to a securities filing.

In the last three months of 2019, Fridays same-store sales declined 11.3%, while traffic declined 9.1%. Over the previous five years, meanwhile, the chain’s domestic system sales declined 28%.

The company has been acquiring franchisees, banking on its ability to improve operations and therefore the chain’s sales. It inked a $19 million deal in early January to acquire 36-unit Briad Restaurant Group, its second-largest franchisee.

Allegro agreed to merge with Fridays in early November. Allegro is a blank check company that takes money from public equity investors and uses it to buy an existing, privately held company, therefore taking that company public.

By backing out of the deal, Allegro will dissolve and will return funds to shareholders.

Fridays is owned by investment firms TriArtisan Capital and MFP Partners. The chain operates 396 US locations and 446 international restaurants.

Channelling the idea of a relaxed, social “third space” between the defined realms of work and home, Foxtrot House of Subculture aims to introduce a new, day-to-night concept, where a hybrid café serves grade-A brews by the day and innovative cocktails by the night. Capitalizing on the joint strength of craft coffee and cocktail movement, Foxtrot aims to merge the roles of baristas and bartenders.

Tapping into patrons’ passion for the nuanced flavour profiles found in both coffee and cocktails, Foxtrot Koramangala, a newly launched restaurant in Bangalore, is a coffee and cocktail Bar with an accentuated loft like vibe, where one can get gourmet coffee and artisanal cocktails  under the same roof.

This multi-concept hybrid café also boasts of a Chefs Collaboration, where chefs from Azure’s brands like Sly Granny, Mamagoto, Dhaba and Hotel Delmaar come together to curate recipes to tantalize the taste buds. Their menu consists of coffee time snacks like Ham and Cheese Sandwich, Panookie, Vegetable Semolina, and American Style Pancakes paired with a variety of coffee brews. The menu is largely divided into small plates, buddha bowls, platters and large plates offering a variety of Indian, Pan-Asian, European, and American dishes.

Some of the Foxrot’s signature dishes include Paleo Buddha bowls (available with veggies or chicken) and Fox 9 lamb burger. In small plates, they offer Himalayan Chicken Wings, Jerk Spiced Paneer, Injipuli Chicken Lollipops, Tellicherry Mutton Boti among others. The large plates include dishes like Chingri Malai Curry, Junglee Maas, Lamb Galouti Biryani, Ema Datshi.

In Pan-Asian menu, one can enjoy a variety of delectable option such as Prawn in Chilli Pepper Sauce, Bangkok Chicken Satay, Gurung Style Chicken Momo, and Ghale Style Chicken Momo. While, the European Small Plates offers Three Cheese with French Fries, Fried Chicken Bucket, Cajun Spiced Pork Ribs, Grilled Polenta Steak, Tenderloin Steak, Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart to name a few. A whole Pizza, Flatbread & Kulcha section offers thin crust Bocconcini and Basil Pizza, Fox Special Four Cheese Pizza, Old School Indian Kulcha. In desserts, they have Panookie and Flourless Chocolate cake.

The Coffee menu there offers Kaffa Cerrado curated beans to include options like the Original House blend, Organic coffee, French Vanilla, Bold Filter Roast amongst many more options crafted specially for the coffee-lovers in the city.

Transforming the concept of resto-bars, with a vision to serve neighbourhood communities, while offering freshly brewed specialty coffee from Delhi’s popular home-grown labels Kaffa Cerrado and Cohoma (for cold brews), this coffee-cocktail bar is Koramangala’s cool new third place space offering unprecedented service from chefs, baristas, sommeliers, and bartenders.

Meanwhile, Foxrot also has their restaurant in Cyber City, Gurgaon. With a range of delectable and sumptuous dishes, their menu has a variety of small and large plate dishes. We started off with small plate dishes like crispy Ragda Aloo Chat, Pav Bhaji, Veg Kulcha platter, Veg loaded Hummus, Kathal Taco (which was innovative and equally delicious), and Cheese Balls with Hot Sauce. They also have unique cocktails and mocktails to offer.

“Foxrot in Cyber City is also coming up with a new menu soon, where there will be dishes paired up with the drinks,” says Chef Sudhanshu, Regional Chef at Foxrot, Delhi.   

Along the years of growing up, nightlife places have surfaced up as the miraculous hub for all the youths to gather together to savor an ultimate nightlife experience as well as being a part of diverse extravaganzas, ranging from never ending day jam sessions to multiple corporate events. And, with these nightlife destinations are coming up with various other options to utilize their space as well as earn extra revenue during the day time. Being packed with people from different age groups throughout the day and night, nightlife spaces have become a junction of interest. Here are 5 ways how these places can generate daytime revenue:

Earning Big through Co-Working: When we look at the regular customer walk-in for any restaurant or lounge, one can say that it's always heavy during the weekends and the night hours in comparison to the weekdays and afternoon. Moving towards co-working spaces has a dual purpose, one of utilizing the empty inventories during the day hours and secondly to expand the business. Converting the restaurant into a co-working space during the day time is probably one of the healthiest and the most beneficial barter that's been trending. “While startups or independent contractors find a good place to hold meetings and conferences, we get some extra business through which we put our unutilized inventory and staff to good use,” says Manuj N Gupta, Owner, Darzi Bar for whom co-working contributes 2-3 per cent of the rebenue. Also, there are some fixed costs for the restaurant which do not change irrespective of the number of customers served. Providing a co-working space helps in better utilizing those costs. 

Cashing in on Kitty Parties: Kitty parties at restaurants have become very popular these days among women of all age group to socialize and have some fun time together. And, what’s best to have this at their favourite restaurants. Hitchki’s Mumbai & Thane outlets are hosting Kitty Party offer on weekdays. The Ghatkopar, Powai and Thane outlets of Hitchki hosts a Kitty Party offer for ladies between noon and 4pm on weekday afternoons. “Hitchki seamlessly transforms itself from day to night, defined by international skill & service, it is sure to make you travel back in time to the ‘days of joy,” shares Arjun Raj Kher, Brand Head, Hitchki.

Photo shoots and Taping for TV Episodes or Movie: People these days are utilizing restaurants and bars to do their wedding shoot etc. Also, there are some prominent movies and videos that have been shot at these nightlife places which is acting for them as an added advantage. The famous song ‘Lae Dooba’ of Aiyaary movie by actors Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh was shot at the famous bar Prankster in Gurgaon by Inderjeet Singh Banga. Similarly, one of the scenes from the famous blockbuster Tamasha, starrer- Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone was shot at Social Offline’s Hauz Khas outlet in Delhi.

Private Events/ Corporate Meetings: As people are hooking socially for business meets, restaurateurs are coming up with new facilities for good business by offering interesting prices for corporates. Molecule at Gurgaon, which is owned by three partners Manish Sharma, Varun Puri and Vivek Bhargava, was created out of the need that Gurgaon corporate required a nice bar-cum-cafe to hold their business meets. “We feel and believe that the most intelligent decisions are made over drinks. Thus, we turn our normal cafés into business cafés by incorporating special deals, packages, separate Private Dining Rooms (PDRs),” says the owners of Molecule.

Focusing on Food Menu: Food has always been the key business drivers and hero at any restaurant and bar. When not doing the normal bar work, these places often organize different food festivals and menus catering to special occasions to attract customers during the day time.

Foxtrot, the Coffee & Cocktail Bar, launched in Bangalore and Delhi by the leading F&B company Azure Hospitality, finds itself a new address at Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub.

With the first of its kind Coffee and Cocktail Bar, Foxtrotin Gurgaon is a redefined avatar of the third place, located in the lanes of Cyber Hub. In a locality famous for its vibe and culture, Foxtrot brings a unique offering with home-grown coffee labels, curated cocktails and a fantastic display of the hyper-local and international cuisines, as well as a well programmed calendar of events. Offering many-a-novel episodes, Foxtrot serves as a proxy to homes or offices.

A crossroad of creative cultures, this space serves as an extension of one’s personality. With an event line up suiting every diner’s leisure score, this new cafe at Cyber Hub is filled up with a stirring roster of musical / cultural / art / workshop-based events, luncheons, brunches, cocktail nights and more. A little more than a hangout place, Foxtrot is where one can meet old friends and make plenty of new ones, in a community that lives together along with supreme food, handcrafted cocktails and A-grade brews.

With a range of Indian & International Menu, spread across a morning menu along with small and large plates, Foxtrot offers plenty of options for epicureans or those who enjoy a great cuppa coffee with nibbles. From hearty breakfast options to hyperlocal  small plates, Foxtrot’s kitchen team that boasts of Azure’s Chefs Collab (yes, we mean all the great chefs at Mamagoto, Dhaba Estd 1986 Delhi, Sly Granny and Hotel Delmaar) has left no stone unturned to up the dining game to a whole new level.

A work friendly café in the morning that transitions into a lively cocktail bar by the evening. A go-to place with live music and exhilarating gigs and a perfect place with unprecedented service from the chefs, baristas, sommeliers, and bartenders. 

With a Resident DJ all evenings with Pop fusion music from the 90s every Friday and Saturday,lunches here are also lit with band performances every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Relish and enjoy your Sundays with Brunches like never before, and grab quick mid-work meals with pocket-friendly Lunch Trays of India like the Madurai with flavourful Chettinad dishes and curd rice, Bombay served with Pao Bhaji, Bhej and Green Galouti Roll, Hyderabadi with classic Paneer Tikka and Kathal Biryani and Nepalpacked with delicious momo’s, egg friend rice and chilli paneer served on weekdays.

Visual appeal, unique ingredients, craft drinks and complex flavours are ruling the nightclubs and bars segment of the restaurant industry. Though it was anticipated that 2019 will be a year when we will see people preferably drinking at home, yet the nightclubs and bars across the country have left no stone unturned to lure its customers. The nightclubs and bars in India are now focussing more on creating intangible consumer experience across all their venues.

Manish Sharma, Founder, Molecule Air Bar, says, “The consumption patterns of eating and dining out have increased enormously. From office meetings to small and big celebrations to healthy eating and more, dining out has become a daily chore.”

As the competition for market share oomph up, the nightclub and bar players have been implementing new marketing strategies to attract their target audience. The capacity and demand at the nightclubs and bars are often managed by the various price promotions either on the entry or on drinks. Many of the industry players lower prices to target students during the midweek nights.

“However, with the rise in discounting applications, the “Spending Power” of the consumer has gone down. Customers, today, do not want to shell out huge sums when they know they can get a discounted price online, thus, they prefer casual bars and cafes which are affordable and not very highly-priced,” says Manish.

The minimum average spending per customer at most of the nightclubs and bars in India varies between Rs. 1500-2000.

At Molecule Air Bar, the highest-selling item is brewed beer whereas, at The Drunken Botanist, cocktails take the win affirms Manish Sharma.

Factors Contributing to the Growth of Business

The newer concepts have been playing a major role in the growth of the business of the nightclubs and bars. The Beer Cafe, for example, has been a pioneer of casual, inviting, neighbourhood hangout spaces in India. The innovations in providing superior consumer experiences have played a key role in establishing its domain leadership in India. The beers-on-tap concept has got much attention from the younger generation. The business growth of nightclubs and bars revolves around its products and concepts – beers-on-taps, freshly-brewed beer, crafty and artisan cocktails, delicious grubs and a comfortable-yet-classy ambience.

Franchise Startup cost

The franchise startup cost for a 4000-1000 sq ft area of a nightclub or bar lies between  Rs 2-5 crore. Molecule air Bar is specific on location; it should be an urban posh area. The startup cost for the franchise unit involves lease rent, equipment, interiors, licenses and registration and franchise security deposit. The investment range for Xtreme Sports Bar & Grill, which has a presence in the South and Central India, is much lesser. For an area of 2500-8000 sq ft, the investment comes at Rs 1-2 crore.

Operational Expenses

Sound background, location and potential market are three necessary ingredients for franchise selection for any nightclubs and bars. Operation expenses include good manpower, salaries, rent, franchise fee, raw material and gas and other miscellaneous expenses such as electricity, water, etc. Depending upon the size of the property, it should range somewhere between 50 lakhs to 1 crore, tells Manish.

The earning for a franchisee depends on the size of the property, location and sale. On average the profit margin is 25-30 per cent of the sale. On average, the break-even time for nightclubs and bars franchise is 2-3 years; for some of the nightclubs and bars, the break-even time is just 12 months.

Brands like Molecule Air Bar and The Beer Cafe run on the FOCO Model and provides full backend support, supply-chain support, training, financial management and book-keeping to its franchisees; they also take care of the talent acquisition and marketing.

Unique Business Model

The Beer Cafe, which recently entered the retail business with Beerosphere, is 40+ outlets at present and offers 50 plus beers from 20 countries.

The Bar Stock Exchange (TBSE) is the first pub chain in India to own a proprietary bar stock exchange software using a comprehensive algorithm to determine and change the price of the drink for the next customer-based on demand. Being touted as the most technologically advanced bar in India, customers can also place an order via a specially-developed app (Android and iOS) that lets its customers monitor prices and order in real time. Customers can compete with each other and the system to score the best prices on their choice of drinks. “We have invested greatly in the development of this software and in creating adequate back-end support,” says Mihir Desai, Co-Owner TBSE. The brand aims at opening 200 outlets in India through the franchising model.

Many nightclub and bar players feel tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India are still untapped. “They have a huge potential,” says Manish Sharma.

Redefining the concept of sports bar in the city of restaurants and bar, The Studs Bar and Grill, launched its first outlet in Juhu, Mumbai recently has added luxury touch to it in the efforts of being different. It is offering complete experience of food, beverages and games combined in a package. The brand is aiming at introducing purely American level of sports bar in the country. Its ambience, food, gaming and play station facility on the dining table itself makes it exception from other conventional bars in the city. Spread across 3700 sqft the restaurant offers comfort yet unique experience in the heart of the city. Excerpts from the interview:

How different is your approach with the concept of sports bar?

In restaurant industry if you want to sustain for longer then you have to be different to fill the gaps which are currently prevalent. None of the other pubs and lounges in the market have given justice to the concept of sports bar per say as whole and not made it really exquisite. We are offering complete experience in the package ensuring the food, alcohol, drinks, mocktails and games combined in a unique experience. We are looking at bringing up purely American level sports bar in India and not the normal any other sports bar. We have added luxury touch to it.

What makes it special?

Our ambience makes it a bit special. Ours is not a basic sports bar section rather we have minimized our number of sittings and have made it comfortable 106 sittings. And, that is the highest level of sitting any bar can have. We have set the standards with the quality of kitchen process, food, beverages and gaming processes. We are having play station on the table itself. We are also hosting play station championship. We have pool table, full bar, free wifi, private dining area, gaming area, group meal option.

We want to have a stern grip in the industry in our segment.

Why did you choose this location?

Juhu has huge target audience. It’s a place of celebrities and celebrity driven crowd. And, this location is actually a hub of F&B outlets. 

Where did you derive the idea from?

We have derived this idea from someone who wanted to launch the sports bar and invest in it. While doing a research on it we have realized that there is a dearth of sports bars in India. So, we decided to set ourselves apart by not having conventional look of multiple screens across and one projector showing one sport in our outlet. We will rather show all the sports on the screen seasonally. It’s all about customer experience.

What is your expansion plan?

We are expanding our outlets through franchising further in BKC in Mumbai, Goa and Hyderabad. We will have no more than two outlets a year. YOY we are looking at 25-30 percent of growth. Overall in the next five years we will have five to seven outlets.

What will be the strategy forward?

As a brand we always believe that we don’t want to open the restaurants at an enormous speed. We will grow stable and sustainable. We are ok with even one or two outlets in one year but all of them should be sustainable and profitable in the long term.

What is the age group that you are catering?

Mostly we are targeting the teenage to 50 year old consumers.

What is the investment and revenue target?

For every outlet we are investing around Rs two to Rs three cr while looking at annual revenue of Rs five to seven cr.

When did you planned to open a restaurant?

I ventured into restaurant industry with The Pink Room in Hauz Khas Village. I have always been a foodie, food and drinks are something that excites me as a person. When I opened 5 years back in Hauz Khas Village, our restaurant created stir by setting new food and drink innovations. I decided to continue creating restaurants as it gives me immense satisfaction and happiness to offer restaurant that has best of everything.

What was the idea behind opening Molecule?

The idea behind opening Molecule is to entertain people at the best. We intend to give the most lavish experience to our guests with innovative food, head shaking drinks, chic ambience and flawless service.

What was most challenging part of opening this restaurant?

Staying True to the concept was the most challenging part. It is defined that- Molecules are made up of atoms that are held together by chemical bonds. These bonds form as a result of the sharing or exchange of electrons among atoms. But this Molecule is Different, is exclusive and has it is own language. Based on the Theme of American and German War concept, Molecule is located in Sector 29. Molecule is here to offer its patrons a memorable time with the finest in food, drinks, ambience and decor for a signified dining experience. This modern architecture is inspired by the American and German War concept and is a tribute to finest craftsmanship.

How do you decide on location? What is the average footfall at your restaurant?

Location is the most important factor for any restaurant. We need to be placed in right market that attracts good visibility and footfall so that we run smooth show. Once they enter space, it’s our service and product that keeps bringing them again and again. So, I decide the location keeping in mind the footfall. We get to serve atleast around 200 customers a day.

As you are serving alcohol along with food. How difficult or easy it is for you to go with the legalities?

Yes, we are serving alcohal with the food. It is not difficult to go with the legalities if everything is fait and transparent. We are truthful to our work and deeds, Thus, we as a team face no difficulty.

Who is your regular customer?

People who like to dine and wine in style is our regular customer.

Going forward, what’s your expansion plan in taking this restaurant to other location?

When we opened Molecule, We were sure that we will get acceptance as we were confident about our creation. But this love and acceptance have motivated us so much that ofcourse we have expansion on mind. Next we are taking Molecule to Hyderabad and soon to Other Metros like Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Who do you see as your competitor in the segment?

I don’t see any Competitor. Once you are used to serving the best, I feel you yourself are your best competitor. Making sure you exceed the expectations of customers everytime they visit you is one thing we look at. Hence, we are competing with our own standards we have settled.

The bar business is growing in India at almost 20 per cent and is one of the fastest growing industry. There are about 6200 licensed bar premises in India with market size of 11500 crore growing at a CAGR of 20 per cent.

With younger crowds getting fancy of these new establishments, this concept is really electrifying the market in a big way. For example, if a typical restaurant gets 20-25 per cent profitability, the bar does 40 per cent, which is way ahead of them. “Our margins are 30 per cent because the competitions are going higher, which effects the pricing. The culture is changing now, there are many singly women introducing the most innovative concept,” shares Priyank Sukhija, Owner, Lazeez Affaire Group.

What’s trending
Today, the focus is shifting from casual dining and fine dining to these bars. Bars are doing a great business, not only in night time, but also the whole day. For example if your bar is located at a place like CP in Delhi, then it is attracting people for lunch as well. Similarly, there are bars which are trading on all-day breakfast menu. “I think bars are the next coffee shops in India. Bars are quickly taking over as public spaces. It is working as pivot for community to gather around and know each other,” says Riyaaz Amlani, President NRAI and CEO- Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality.

Also, the places which do not have bars are ultimately becoming a place where there is very little cross society pollination. “Bar offers much more democratic and neutral ground for people from various backgrounds to collaborate and partner,” adds Amlani, who runs one of the most quirkest concept, Social, in the country.

Trading on customers
Everyone today looks at bar as not only a drinking place, but also a place to host an event, a party and gather over a business meeting, it is giving more chances to people to come repeatedly to their outlets. For example, bars are having an area which they have donated as a workplace, an area where people can host business meets, which is working as an all day trade centre.. “What is happened is because of the competitive pricing people who have disposable income are coming more to the bars,” points Sukhija, who believes that its not about weekend businesses at these places, but also weekdays.

Adding to the same concepts, Amlani comments, “All segments are getting fairer customers. There are people who like to go to a neighbourhood bar for a cozy experience and also there are set of customers who prefer a nice large bar experience.”

And, hence as the whole shift is coming from restaurants to bars, there is lot of penetration in the segment. “In the last three years the shift is moving towards bars. What is happening is that standalone bars are giving much more varied experience and secondly women customers are growing as compared to few years back,” says Sandeep Arora, Director, Spiritual Luxury (P) Ltd India.