[thechat] Restaurant (was: Last Math exam)

Madhu Menon webguru at vsnl.net
Thu Jun 5 18:01:28 CDT 2003


At 03:32 AM 06-06-03, Luther, Ron wrote:
>Yeah, but on the downside I'm bummed because it keeps me away from the
>restaurant grand opening.  ;(
>
>Hows that going anyway?  I haven't checked your restaurant blog lately.

Hi Ron.

OK, so I thought that I had found *the* place for it. It was right in the 
heart of the business district, located on the top floor of a major 
departmental store with available power backup and airconditioning, etc.

Too good to be true? You betcha.

Turns out that the dude rented out the floor below mine to a seafood 
restaurant. So what's the big deal, eh? I'm not competing with them, right?

Except that if you walked into that restaurant, you'd be absolutely blown 
away by the interiors and the area of the place. They've clearly spent a 
shitload of money on it, and nothing I could do would come up to 50% of 
what they've got. Heck, compared to their high ceiling, my place would look 
positively claustrophobic. I was also looking at about 1700 sq ft for my 
place compared to some 5000+ sq ft for this seafood joint.

Fuck, that did it. It wouldn't matter how good my place was; it was next to 
a huge mofo that would always outclass my place in the looks department.

And so a dream place goes flush down the toilet.


The search for a good location continues. I've just got a new lead for a 
place that was available some 4 months ago. My friend says she'll check if 
it's still there. While it's not quite in the major business district, it's 
only about a kilometre away, so it could still work.

On the menu front, I've nearly finalised my menu, which I'll post here when 
I'm done. (Of course, Indian taste buds and occidental taste buds may find 
different things appealing, but what the heck.)

My marketing strategy is clear.

a) Raise awareness about the cuisine (itself relatively unknown here) by 
creating a monthly newsletter devoted to cooking techniques and Asian food 
appreciation, written and designed by yours truly. ;)

b) Establish credibility by writing for newspapers and magazines and 
getting a decent bio block. I know someone who knows the local head of the 
#1 women's magazine in India. Getting a column there is what I'm angling for.

c) Encourage repeat visits by giving out 10% discount coupons valid if used 
within a week of the previous visit.

d) Use all the networking contacts I have to get high-profile people to 
attend the restaurant inauguration. These folks are connected to many others.

e) Make sure I don't go the pompous route and give foreign names to my 
dishes. If people can't remember the name, they can't tell others about it. 
I'll use "Stir-fried chicken with basil and chillies" instead of "Gai Pad 
Gaprow" :D


(Now why did I write so much?)

Sheesh, I'm getting the jitters already. This is a big venture. Fair bit of 
money at stake.

Regards,

Madhu
PS: Isaac should be arriving in time to eat at Shiok. Listening to lame 
jokes is the trade-off.  :)

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Madhu Menon
Internet User Experience Consultant
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