BENGALURU: After malls, the onestop-shop idea has identified a new turf –– restaurants. Single large-format eateries are now offering a microbrewery, bakery, night club, and a couple of diverse dining spaces –– all under one roof. Multi-offer restaurants is the new wave in the food & beverage space and is the current experiment to adhere to the times of smart life.
Take the example of Communiti that opened its doors a week ago on Residency Road. The 18,000-sq ft premise houses a microbrewery, library bar, bakery, live pizza counter, a petfriendly outdoor dining area, balcony seating and a 30-feet communal table that can host 70 people at one go.
“People today want to first see creative concepts. A large format offers a good canvas for both restaurateur and guests to repeatedly experiment with,” says cofounder Dominic Mascarenhas, who quit his job as associate vice-president of ICICI Bank to start this restaurant venture.
To which Kaushi Bidappa, a corporate communication professional and foodie, says: “Large-format restaurants work well if you are going out in a big group. There is something to suit everyone’s taste buds and you don’t need to drive around town for different experiences.”
Destination dining of sorts, these large-format multi-offer restaurants have especially found locations away from the core city area. Like ‘The Druid Garden’ in Sahakar Nagar spread over 14,000 sq ft with live grill counters, pizzeria, bakery, VIP seater, communal table and private party space. Founder Amit Gowda says there was no product for a large volume of audience in the area. He decided to fill the gap with a multi-offer eatery serving world cuisine in the hope of getting consistent footfall. “Our research showed that people are constantly debating over cuisines for a single meal. A multi-offer restaurant is a good way to attract repeat customers as people can try something different with each visit,” says Gowda.
Brewsky Hennur is a similar 65,000-sq ft destination that will open its doors soon. It will offer a theatrical experience in a stepstyle dining space overlooking a performing arts stage, open-air dining area with interactive kitchen, a microbrewery and a night club. Pravesh Pandey, director of Brewsky Hospitality that owns Brewsky Hennur, notes, “The youth is fragile in temperament today. Food alone cannot keep their loyalty.”
Pandey finds that neighbourhood bars have a shelf life.
Hence, with sustainability a challenge, the idea is to create a timeless model. “Solution is to take asset spaces and build a property that becomes a cult destination,” he adds.
However, Suresh Hinduja, culinary consultant and founder of Gourmetindia.com, has fears for this new concept. Hinduja says: “It is difficult to service a sprawling restaurant. Indian psyche is that if a restaurant looks empty it is not good. Simply why small-format restaurants like Toast & Tonic with crowd trickling outside are popular.”
Nonetheless, Hinduja suggests a colossal wait-staff, good supply of daily stock, effective service and appearing packed will make the concept a success.