Sec V eateries go all out to reverse dwindling footfall

KOLKATA: Till now, restaurants offered free doorstep delivery to offer convenience and shore up business. Now, an eating joint at Salt Lake's Sector V has gone a step further to beat dwindling footfall blues. It is sending a plush van to offices to fetch clients for lunch.
Other restaurants, too, are serving up a host of goodies, including heavy discounts to lure customers back from roadside vendors as hordes of techies have switched to cheaper food options since the meltdown began.
Earlier, Abcos Food Plaza used to offer transportation to only those tech hub customers, who made prior bookings. But now, they do the rounds of facilities like DLF, Technopolis and SDF that house multiple offices employing hundreds.
"We usually have bookings on Thursdays and Fridays and offer pick-up and drop facility to the clients. Now, we are sending the vehicle on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays as well so that even those who do not have bookings can avail of it and eat at our restaurant. Providing transport is a great convenience," said restaurant manager Samiran Mazumdar.
As an added incentive, the joint throws in a 15% discount to those availing of transport. He, however, insisted that the innovation was not linked to the general drop in food business following the recession. "It's being customer friendly and developing relationships," said Mazumdar.
Whatever the reason, the idea seems to be catching on. "Having food in the scorching heat becomes difficult. The transportation saves money and makes the whole affair tempting," said IT professional Bipul Mitra.
Red Express, a quick service joint, is sending its representatives to several corporate houses in Sector V and Rajarhat for promotions and bookings. "We haven't slashed the buffet price but added more beverage and dessert items. We have also revised the tariff for dinner and snacks," said the manager. Red Express has also started a lucky draw that offers free lunch for two.
IT professional Rhea Mitra had a pleasant surprise when she visited a newly opened eatery. She got a complimentary scoop of ice-cream. Early this week, the eatery started free office delivery in Sector V and Rajarhat for purchases above a certain value.
Barbeque Nation, another eatery, offers twin menus for buffet lunch a regular full course meal at the usual price and another minus some items at a lower price point.