Day of the Nights

“For the youth a pub now going out means having a good time,” says Khodu Irani,owner of High Spirits,Koregaon Park. “One such thing that we have started here is the karaoke night,held every Tuesday. Yes,occasionally you do get an awful singer who is tone-deaf,but more often than not these guys are very articulate and good. The thing is,everyone has a good time. We also hold fancy dress competitions on certain days,though these are not held at such a regular basis. One such day,is the Full Moon Night,where the customers are supposed to dress up according to a particular theme,” he says. But the most important factor here is that youth is generally unforgiving,and doesn’t give an establishment a second chance. Joravar Sachdev,director of operations of East Street Cafe,Camp,says,“The spending power today belongs to young professionals who work hard during the day and unwind at night. They expect to have a good time,every time and if they have a bad experience somewhere,they will not go back again.”

So what do the pub owners do,in that case? “Well,it has been accepted that women like to drink as much as men,but are a vast untapped potential because they do not like to drink in pubs. Which is why bars the world over have a special ‘ladies night’ when women get alcohol for free or at a reduced rate. We are no exception – we have a special ‘MnM’ night,or the ‘Margarita and Martini night’ for women.The day has its own special menu and is exclusively for women,”says Sachdev. Ravi Das,manager of The Ship,Kalyani Nagar,agrees,saying,“Ladies nights are very popular with young,working women because it is a day when they can drink without inhibition Even ‘band nights’ are getting popular,” says Imran Inamdar,manager of Arc Asia,Koregaon Park. “This is one day that both girls and guys enjoy equally – people who love music know all about it,” he says. A worker at Sheesha Cafe,Koregaon Park,who wished to remain unnamed,says,“We have ‘jazz nights’ every week,and they are so popular that often,one has to wait for up to an hour to get a seat.” Nor is the brigade ending there,with each establishment trying to add something new and exciting to their repertory. “We have started hosting a stand-up comedy act once a month,” says Inamdar. “The point is that the customer should have a good time.”