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.