Eateries gear up; cinemas, retailers to wait and watch

A Social outlet at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. File pic

As Mumbai gets the green light to stay open all night, a few restaurateurs have already planned their night menus and hired additional staff, ready to take 24x7 head-on. Cinemas and retailers, though, don't seem too excited about the move, and may keep regular hours for now.

mid-day reached out to businesses for a low-down on how they are gearings up for Mumbai's post-midnight transformation.

'3rd shift staff hired'
Many of restaurateur Zorawar Kalra's outlets will stay open. At least half of them are located in malls such as Palladium, Phoenix Mills and at BKC. These will stay open till at least 3 am from Wednesday to Sundays. "Some of our outlets will offer the entire menu while others will have a slightly smaller one. We have hired people for the third shift, which has led to a 30 per cent increase in employment," Kalra said, adding that there could be a new breakfast menu at 5 am later.

R City mall plans to give Mumbaikars entertainment options till late night. Pic/Sameer Markande

'Social outlets open till 4 am'
Riyaaz Amlani's Flea Bazaar in Kamala Mills will be open till 4 am, and there will be a special midnight menu that will be launched at his Social outlets. "All our Social and Smoke House Deli outlets will stay open till 4 am. We are planning to do this every day initially. We believe that if we are open, we create a behaviour wherein people go out to eat late at night," Amlani said.

R City open on weekends
At R City mall in Ghatkopar, around 20 brands have agreed to stay open on Fridays and Saturdays, till 3 to 4 am. Participating brands include kiosks at food courts and eateries like Grandmama's Café, Starbucks, Frozen Bottle, Agent Jack's, TGIF, Pop Tate's and retail outlets like Shoppers Stop, Globus and Decathlon. There will be a trial run on Friday and Saturday to gear up for D-day - January 31 (the first Friday after the launch date, January 27). Santosh Kumar Pande, head, R City, said, "We are planning late-night deals and entertainment options. This trial will help malls understand consumer behaviour and profitability."

Palladium's Ishaara till 3 am
Prashant Issar, co-founder of Ishaara at Palladium Mall said, "24x7 is an advantage for the customer and an opportunity for businesses. We will keep our restaurant open till 3 am on weekends and assess the impact." Most brands at Palladium mall will stay open till 3 am on weekends.

Oberoi Mall in Goregaon has permission to remain open till late at night

'Retailers work on finances'
"It is imperative that we take feedback and consensus from our retail partners. The entertainment and F&B tenants have responded positively for extended hours. However, most retailers are still working on their revenue versus expense projections. We are also reviewing the cost impact on operational cost versus revenues. To begin with, we are trying this out on Fridays and Saturdays," said a statement from Growel's 101 mall.

Retail outlets undecided
Retail outlets at malls seem to be undecided on remaining open. According to sources, most retail brands are not excited due to logistical reasons. "The focus is on eateries, movies and other entertainment options. Shopping outlets are expected to get shut regularly. The decision depends on individual brands as remaining open will involve double the electricity and manpower," said an official from a suburban mall. "Eateries and movies are expected to make business at night but there is no clarity if shopping outlets will see sales."

Multiplexes will wait
Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, Inox Leisure Limited, said, "We don't have clarity as the official circular hasn't come. A few extra shows won't affect the revenue but the footfall will surely increase during weekends and public holidays and also for big-ticket films." Atul Goel of Cinepolis said, "It's too early to decide anything. We haven't taken a call but I don't see a reason to not implement it." Kamala Gianchandani, CEO of PVR cinemas, refused to comment.

Saviours of post-midnight cravings

Social outlets
Smoke House Deli outlets
Grandmama's Café
Starbucks
Frozen Bottle
Agent Jack's
TGIF
Pop Tate's
Ishaara at Palladium

4am
Time till when restaurants will remain open

Jan 27
Day outlets will start 24x7 ops

Need to know

What is 24/7 Mumbai?
The state has permitted establishments to remain open 24 hours a day in a gated community

When does it start?
January 27

What does 'gated community' mean?
The phrase refers to a mall or mill compound, which house establishments

So, which malls or mill compounds have permissions?
Atria Mall, Worli; Growel 101, Kandivali; Phoenix Market City, Kurla; R-City Mall, Ghatkopar; High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel; Oberoi Mall, Goregaon; Fun Republic Mall, Andheri; Kamala Mills Compound, Lower Parel; Mathuradas Mill Compound (Todi Mill), Lower Parel; Victoria Mill Compound, Lower Parel

'These places have permission as per the definition of a 'gated community'. It is not yet clear whether all of them will remain open all night, all week

Will they serve alcohol?
No. Liquor will be served only till 1:30 am.

Will they play music beyond 1:30am?
Light music can be played provided it does not cause a nuisance

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