Poster Cafe enters Jakarta's nightlife scene

By Sri Wahyuni

JAKARTA (JP): Another nightlife spot has opened for those who love to spend their evenings away from home. Poster Cafe -- located in Jalan Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, next to Manari Restaurant -- opened its doors to the public on Tuesday.

Occupying an area of nearly 1,000 square meters, Poster is designed to be the biggest cafe in town, and is able to accommodate up to 1,000 visitors.

"The biggest existing cafe in Jakarta can only take in 300 visitors," said Ndol Geoffary, one of Poster's shareholders.

Poster deliberately offers a distinct atmosphere. Upon entering the main section of the restaurant, the difference can be felt. It has a high warehouse like roof, making it seem more like a hall than a cafe. This impression is even stronger when you look at the stage, which is located at the end of the room.

Unlike other cafes, which feature jazz or rock music, Poster chooses to present blues and the music of the 70s in its live shows. Ian Antono, a noted Indonesian musician, who is one of the shareholders, says the choice is not just because they want Poster to be different.

"First of all, we like those kinds of music. Also, in my opinion blues is the root of both beat rock and jazz," he told The Jakarta Post just before the soft-opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Another noted difference is the decor of the main room and the furniture. Furnished with bare tables and chairs of plain wood -- without varnish or paint -- the room is designed in a way that customers do not have to sit all the time they are there. They can move around as much as they want to, just like at a standing party.

"It is indeed designed to give visitors a very informal atmosphere," said Ndol, the one who came up with the original idea of running such a cafe.

That is why there will be no dress code and visitors can dress in any way they like.

"They can come just in a T-shirt, shorts and sandals," he said, adding that visitors also are allowed to drink right from the bottle, without using a glass. "They can also eat with their fingers. They don't have to use spoons, forks or knives," he said.

Poster -- which stands for Post Entertainment -- was first built as a place for musicians to gather. A place where they could talk about many things. A place to discuss music and careers. It is also designed as a place where beginners can develop their talent. A separate space behind the stage will be built for them.

"We hope that, someday, brilliant and outstanding musicians will be born at Poster," said Ndol, who has dedicated most of his life to the entertainment world in Indonesia.

Preparations

The overall preparations for the cafe's formal opening not yet finished. Poster will not be serving any meals until its grand opening. By the end of the year everything -- including the Beer Garden, one of Poster's specialties -- is expected to be completed.

The Beer Garden -- which occupies the front garden -- is a place where visitors can buy beer from Poster "hawkers", on the basis of a cash-and-carry system.

"It's just like buying a beer from street vendors who carry their merchandise in wooden boxes, hung with a rope around their necks," said Ndol.

Poster's shares are equally divided among two groups, Manari Restaurant and PT Multivision. What is interesting is that Multivision's shareholders are mostly prominent musicians and singers. Doel Sumbang, Ahmad Albar, Ian Antono and Dewi Yull are among them.

"It's not merely business concerns that led me to join this enterprise," Doel Sumbang told the Post.

For him, Poster is more like an expression of his soul as a musician and singer.

"As it is meant to be the place for musicians to meet each other, so whenever I want to meet fellow musicians I can just go to the cafe of my own. Not someone else's. I can surely relax there," he said.

Hadi Soenyoto, another Poster owner, said the fact that the cafe is going to be the place for musicians to meet each other will be one of its main drawing points. Along with the presentation of noted local and foreign bands, he is quite sure that in three years they will reach the break even point.

Up to now, he said, they have invested no less than Rp 1 billion (US$444 million). This excludes the land purchase. Up to January 1996, the investment is estimated to double.

What do nightlife lovers have to say about Poster's opening?

"It's okay judging from the place and setting. Now, it depends on the music selections. If they can present qualified music groups playing qualified music, I am sure it will not be difficult for them to draw visitors here," said Gigin Praginanto, who claims to spend seven nights a week in bars and cafes.

According to Gigin, music plays an important role in nightlife activity.

"That is why music can also be a detrimental factor for such a business," he said.