Competing to woo a crowd

By K. Basrie and I. Christianto

A good location is one of the keys to successfully running the business of satiating the urban community's appetite for food and leisure in major cities across the country.

But food lovers and party-goers also pick cafes and restaurants for the atmosphere, type of crowd, menu, prices, entertainment and security.

The following two reports may give some insight into the endless battle between operators of such places to lure crowds and pamper their regular customers.

JAKARTA (JP): When the mid-1997 economic downturn struck this country and continued with the heated political situation at home in early 1998, a "war" took place.

It was invisible, indeed, but it did happen.

Parties involved in the battle, a silent and an elegant one, were those in the food and beverage and entertainment businesses. They included hotel operators, cafe chain owners and out-of-work actors and singers who tried to diversify their talents by running street cafes.

Like on many battlefields, there were victims here and there. But this one has seen no blood.

The champions are of course those who persevered and have an immense reservoir of initiative, especially on how to attract and excite young white-collar workers who tend to spend extra money on such places.

Some firmly believe the tough competition still exists, particularly since the occupancy rate of many hotels in the region continues to fluctuate and many businesses are still uneasy about investing lots of money in such ventures.

Crisis or not, food and fun is still a prime need for many, particularly those living in big cities.

Thus, hotel operators continuously strive to keep the customers coming and to stay on top by regularly changing the props in the coffee shops, restaurants and bars on their premises.

So do cafe owners.

Hiring popular singers, bands, disc jockeys or alluring dancers is not the only prop. So is free entrance.

Installing a heavy-duty sound system is also not a guarantee of a crowd since there are many people who prefer to enjoy music that creates a relaxed or romantic atmosphere.

Every single day, week or month can be flavored to create a special event or moment.

Weekends are often themed in the age-old style of promotion for those in the business. Thus come the "I like Mondays", "Ladies' Night", "Free Corona", "Happy Hours", "White Party" and "No-Tie Party" nights.

Some venue owners dress up their staff in a funky style, such as with metal rings in their noses and through their eyebrows.

Others decorate their premises in a variety of ways, such as with unpolished bricks, period portraits or wooden chairs, or have narrow spaces that bring customers physically closer.

"This small place has become our pride. Customers talk and chat in a very relax way here," said Detty Servita Tahir of Prego cafe in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Detty might be right as some night revelers now prefer to spend evenings with friends and families in close settings that have a tranquil ambience, like those at hotels.

Retro cafe at Crown Plaza hotel is another example which has its own style to lure crowds.

Andrew Santoso of Retro said the cafe's main goal is to give a comfortable and relax atmosphere to visitors. On regular days, about 100 patrons visit Retro, but the number often multiplies tenfold on weekends.

Food and beverage prices and cover charge vary from place to place, depending upon venue popularity. A bottle of wine at one place that costs Rp 325,000 could be Rp 75,000 more at another cafe, which might bustle with a sea of people some nights.

That's the entertainment.

What about food?

To convince customers that there's always something fun on offer, many cafes and restaurants have their own specialties. Often it is the names given to the food that is intriguing.

That's business. After all, it's war.

Talking about food, many cafes here only have "European" dishes on their menus. When local food is served, it is often given a name with a western twist. You can find, for example, "Nasi Goreng Pizza" at Fashion Cafe.

The trend is probably aimed at meeting local demands, including by teenagers who mostly appear to prefer to use, wear and eat something from "overseas" which sounds to them more modern and civilized.

Finding popular cafes and restaurants is not a hard task. It's like finding a good warteg. At night, a crowded parking lot is a good indication that you've found what you're looking for.

Now, it's up to you to decide what type of crowd you'd like to be in the midst of. Every cafe and restaurant tends to specialize its service.

Jakarta, for example, currently has more than 3,000 places for food and entertainment. Only a few have become high profile.

Each place, including those located in star-rated hotels, skyscrapers and shopping malls, has a specialty in terms of cuisine, price, music, location, atmosphere and type of visitor.

"We always try to offer something unique, whether in seafood or suki," said Yunita, marketing executive of a popular seafood restaurant in the capital.

Shima Dina Mayasari of a Japanese restaurant in a five-star hotel in Central Jakarta says her place is often full of businessmen on weekdays and families on weekends.

"About 60 percent of our customers are Indonesians," she said.

Jakarta is also home to international cafe chains, like Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, whose operators have been kept busy maintaining the number of patrons.

Hard Rock, for example, is always packed on Monday nights.

"Since 1995, HRC has been staging the 'I like Monday' program. It usually features established local singers," said assistant advertising and promotions manager Affi Assegaf.

On other nights at HRC, a home band offers mostly Top 40 songs.

According to Affi, customers go there for the food and entertainment which create the "typical HRC" atmosphere.

"In addition, some customers also buy our merchandise," she said.

"Cheese nachos, barbecued beef ribs and brownies are the favorites here," she said.

She said there had been no significant changes at HRC, particularly in its interior design, although this is its ninth year here.

"However, we are always innovative in our services. For instance, customers can request songs via Short Messaging Service (SMS) operated by a cellular phone provider," she said.

Entertainment is also an important feature at Fashion Cafe.

Enny T. Priambodo, banquet and marketing manager of Fashion Cafe, said there were various daily programs at the restaurant.

Customers can enjoy fashion shows at lunchtime every Tuesday and Wednesday and light music every Monday and Thursday.

There is live music every day at dinnertime and fashion shows on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

If HRC promotes new singers and groups, Fashion Cafe promotes young and new designers. Wednesday nights at Fashion Cafe are dedicated to new designers.

Enny said popular dishes at Fashion Cafe include Nasi Goreng Pizza, Highline beefsteak and Supermodel (banana) split.

She said Fashion Cafe, which is located in an office building, was usually more crowded during office hours as it has lunch promotion programs.