Cuisine, décor, and service are three ingredients that can make or break a restaurant anywhere in the world but in the Capital, the postcode of where the restaurant is located makes a huge difference. Delhiites tend to flock to particular market for a few years and then move on to another watering hole leaving the once-happening hub looking like a ghost of its past.
From places like Ansal Plaza, Basant Lok Market (Priya Complex) and Saket (PVR Anupam market) that were the hubs at the turn of the century being overshadowed by swankier malls in the vicinity to Khan Market that lost its pizzazz to Hauz Khas Village and Cyber Hub, the market in vogue has always been changing.
Chandni Kapoor a banker who lives in Mayur Vihar feels that as Delhi is a city of great distances people scattered at different corners need a central place to meet and despite issues like parking, zero in on a place based on a trend instead of convenience. “How else will you explain girls all dressed up and wearing stilettos walking nearly a kilometre on a congested road to get to Hauz Khas Village on a weekend when there are so many places that have better infrastructure,” says Chandni.
Even the trendy urban villages of Hauz Khas and Shahpur Jat that went from hipster joints to mainstream markets less then two years ago are losing flavour with people who are returning to old haunts like Connaught Place that has seen a revival with a number of restaurants opening up and people thronging them as the parking clears up at night.
Shuchir Suri founder or foodtalkindia.com says every market has a honeymoon period where the niche crowd of a city goes to eat and party. The word spreads through social media and world of mouth after which crowds start thronging and the beauty of the market gets ruined. It is all about public perception and a type of a trickle-down effect that turns a new hub into an overcrowded market that people stop visiting. “For every Khan Market, there is a Meherchand Market where the crowd that first started visiting Khan Market will be diverted to,” adds Shuchir.
Riyaaz Amlani CEO of Impresario and the president of National Restaurant Association of India feels that in any high street location brands must keep changing so that people keep visiting the place and not get tired of the same haunts. He feels that there is a certain allure and magic to high street markets but unfortunately many of them are left to their own devices unless a strong traders association steps in. Riyaaz says that unlike in Mumbai, where there is a strong sense of community where a person in Bandra will go to restaurants in the vicinity and likewise for people living in south Mumbai, Delhiites need to develop a strong sense of community for their neighbourhood market instead of travelling far to reach a market that is the currently in vogue.
Sahil Mehta, owner of Chew-Pan Asian Café in Connaught Place says shopping for real estate for a restaurant is a very important step in the planning process as you want a location that offers you peace of mind. Areas which have seen many restaurants open up all of a sudden, often lose their charm and the bubble bursts after a while as there is lack of proper planning, infrastructure and no licensing. Says Sahil, “When you plan to set up a restaurant and invest in creating a nice ambience you think of parking, safety and target customers. I feel that CP provides the old world colonial charm, a well connected prime location, over one lakh customers working in the area, safety as the police are always patrolling the streets. That is why many new restaurants are in the pipeline that will turn it into a High Street hub much like Cyber Hub in Gurgaon and Leicester Square in London.”
