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Restaurants across the country are looking to capitalise on the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday.
Restaurants are promising “stadium-like-experience” with big screens and goodies. In a market that has seen slowdown, restaurant chains are looking at a 30 to 40 per cent rise in footfall on the back of the cricket frenzy.
The first 20 matches (out of the total 60) were shifted to the UAE, as the government could not provide security personnel for the tournament because of the Lok Sabha elections. Because of this, many cricket enthusiasts in India will not be able to watch the matches in stadiums.
Mia Bella, a Delhi-based pub owned by Bhanu Nehra, brother of Chennai Super Kings player Ashish Nehra, said it was getting frequent calls from cricket fans about IPL packages. “This year, people will want to watch matches in restaurants as there’s no action in stadiums,” said an executive at Mia Bella. Expecting at least a 30 per cent increase in the number of customers during the IPL days, the outlet also plans to invite cricket stars once they return.
Vikas Nanda, restaurant manager at Fio Cookhouse and Bar, was optimistic that footfall would go up during the matches. “Shifting the game to a foreign venue may not affect people’s energy level, and cricket fans will throng the joints to see their favourite teams play,” Nanda said.
Fio is offering a range of schemes for cricket lovers — free shots during select matches to cocktails of the same colour as teams’ jerseys.
Café Ludus is another such joint planning strategies to bowl over cricket fans. Last year, it had a special menu, with drinks named after player’s names; Master Blaster’s Whisky Sour, Dhoni’s Mistake, Sehwag’s Sangria, Ashwin’s Mar-Tea-Ni, to name a few. “We may do something similar now,” said Sanjay Mishra, senior manager at the restaurant.
While restaurants may gain, another segment of the hospitality industry, hotels, will lose out due to the shift. “During an international tournament like IPL, restaurant business definitely goes up. But this time, hotels may lose out a bit as a result of the shift,” said S M Shervani, chairman of Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India. IPL helps hotels earn handsome revenue, as team members, media and even fans need to be catered to.
