Brimming over

Even the economic slowdown has some positive features,ask the avid tippler! Bars,pubs and restobars,rocked by the recession...

Written by Debesh Banerjee
June 12, 2009 02:16 AM IST

3 min read

Even the economic slowdown has some positive features,ask the avid tippler! Bars,pubs and restobars,rocked by the recession,are pulling out all stops to boost sales and the latest initiative is to increase the Happy Hours and pack in special offers.

At all six outlets of TGIF in the NCR,for instance,Happy Hours have got longer. TGIF,Gurgaon,experimented with extending Happy Hours to midnight,and loved the result. The concept may sound unusual but a Happy Hours slot of 10.30 pm to midnight at the Gurgaon outlet has been a huge success, says Mohit Patney,marketing manager. The crowd from call centres is among those who pack the restaurant,making most of the late night offer. Apart from the one-plus-one offer on drinks,people can order an a-la-carte special menu of snacks like nachos,and sauteed chicken. We have noticed that 70 per cent of our sales happen during this period, adds Patney. At Raja Garden,TGIFs Happy Hours are from 5.30 pm to midnight. Even at Urban Pind,the magic of midnight Happy Hours is catching on. The restobar in GK-1,has Happy Hours from 12 to midnight. The response is insane, says owner Kashif Farooq.

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Café Morrison in South Extension,known for its regular rock gigs,has also lengthened its timings. Our Happy Hours are now one hour longer,from 1 pm to 8:30 pm. Recession has hit everyone and we are desperately seeking means to boost our sales, says Anish Khanna co-owner,of Café Morrison. The offer coincided with the IPL,and brought in hordes of young office-goers. Clients can get unlimited beer for Rs 666,or the regular buy one get one free on any alcohol, he says.

At Khan Market,restaurateur Manav Sharma tweaked the Happy Hours timings for Blanco to attract the afternoon shoppers. Ever since I put up posters announcing that Happy Hours are now from 12 to 8 pm,Ive had people streaming in. Our offer has gone down well with women who like to grab a meal after their retail therapy. They can enjoy two beer bottles for just Rs 125 with their meal, says Sharma.

Urban Pind has also launched a Models Night,where anybody from the fashion fraternity can get six complementary drinks with a food voucher free. At Mocha Bar,the new watering hole at Nehru Place,you dont need to be fashionable to avail of their special offer unlimited beer at Rs 500 per person.

The Hyatt Regency,Delhi,is using an innovative approach to promote wines at their Italian restaurant,La Piazza. They offer a selection of wines by the glass paired with Italian refreshments for less than half the price of a bottle,on all days. For around Rs 1,000,one can sample various wines by the glass compared to Rs 6,000 upwards per bottle. Cheers to that.

Contact: Hyatt Regency,Delhi: 66771310
Urban Pind: 32514646
Blanco: 43597155
TGIF,Gurgaon: 0124-4018681
Café Morrison: 26255652
Mocha Bar: 42902201