Delhi’s trendiest restaurants have been on a blitzkrieg of sorts to capitalise on the Indian Premier League (IPL) fever to win over customers who are sports-lovers with innovative offers and specially-planned menus.
With slashed rates during match hours and many freebies thrown in, the idea was to lure customers to come in after work instead of watching the match from home.
Over the past few seasons, the formula had worked with the T20 format, providing high decibel excitement with a DJ thrown in as cheerleader. This year, however, the response has been lacklustre.
A popular venue to watch sport in the city that prides itself on offering a view of the giant screen from whichever corner you sit in had lots of customers this weekend, but nobody seemed interested in the match.
A restaurant manager agreed that not many people seem interested in the game this season. They keep an eye on the score and you hear a few screams during the last few overs or when a brilliant catch is taken, but diners are not clued in to the ball-by-ball action.
However, restaurants are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping the excitement will build up during the second-half of the tournament.
Chef Rajesh, who runs a kitchen in Gurgaon, says IPL provides many opportunities to curate a special menu.
“From regional foods that can be highlighted to cuisine and drinks from the Caribbean, that is why it is easy to come up with promotional offers so that repeat customers can try something new during every visit,” he said.
Parked in front of a giant screen, cricket fan Ankit Datta did not agree with his friends who said Indians have been subjected to an overdose of cricket.
IPL format
Ankit feels the problem lies with the IPL format itself. “Fans cannot settle down and support one team as players are being shuffled constantly. Unlike the English Premier League, where clubs have a legendary following as players sometimes spend their entire peak playing for a single club and the transfer season being an event itself, teams in IPL constantly change their makeup. This makes it tough for a fan base to get created,” he said.
Nothing “Delhi”
Another fan Rohan Gupta said the excitement of following the Delhi Daredevils that was created in the first three seasons when Delhi boys Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir opened the batting, died out as there was nothing “Delhi” about the team any longer. He added that when you are cheering for your team even if they are not performing well, you need that “local reason” to stand by them.