Manu opens flagship Jakarta resto and bar
Manu opens flagship Jakarta resto and bar
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Targeting millions of Red Devils fans in Indonesia, Manchester
United Food and Beverage (Asia) Pte Ltd (MUFB) opened on Friday a
restaurant, bar and merchandise outlet on Jl. M.H. Thamrin,
Central Jakarta.
"Indonesia is a very important market, offering us many growth
opportunities. The restaurant and bar we are unveiling today is
just the latest step in the development of our activities in
Asia," MU Football Club chief executive David Gill said in a
press release.
"Manchester United is a well-known name in Indonesia, with
millions of fans. With the opening of this outlet we are brought
closer to them," he added.
Located at Gedung Sarinah, the resto and bar occupies the
premises that previously contained the old Hard Rock Cafe, which
is now at Ex Plaza (next to Plaza Indonesia).
MU Restaurant and Bar have not changed the venue's layout that
much.
MU management, though, have placed two large screens on the
upper right wall of the bar and designed the right wing of the
place to resemble a football bench.
On the soft opening night, hundreds of Jakarta's trendiest
party animals packed the 930-square-meter venue, eating and
drinking.
As the night drew on, some partygoers packed the small dance
floor in front of the stage, dancing to a disco beat.
The outlet outside the bar now sells about 150 kinds of
merchandise, from paper clips, pins and wristwatches, to ladies
T-shirts, polo shirt and red MU jerseys from Nike.
A red MU jersey of 2004/2005 vintage, with "Nistelrooy"
imprinted on the back, commands the highest price, at Rp 720,000.
"We will have a blue-and-black jersey soon," Baby Susanty, a
merchandiser, told The Jakarta Post.
"The fastest-moving item is the black MU polo shirt," Baby
said. "The price is Rp 228,000."
Expo T, a sports fan invited to the soft opening, said he
usually bought sports paraphernalia, including that from MU, in
Singapore.
On the opening night, Expo bought two red jerseys, one with
"Rooney" and another with "Ronaldo" on them.
"With the opening of this MU outlet, I really hope to see PSSI
(the Soccer Association of Indonesia) follow suit," Expo said, in
a serious manner.
Jakarta's MU bar, restaurant outlet provides a membership
service. The joining fee is Rp 1.5 million, for which each new
member gets a bottle of Chivas Regal whiskey or Jack Daniels
bourbon, a red jersey and a 10 percent discount on purchases at
the restaurant and bar, as well as exemption from the annual fee
of Rp 50,000.