Would you like a basketball with that, sir?
Would you like a basketball with that, sir?
By Sam Greenhill
JAKARTA (JP): It was a small price to pay: one juicy hamburger
and a plate of crispy nachos.
That was what Jakarta's newest restaurant paid Yayuk Basuki in
exchange for the Indonesian tennis queen's racket, a signed
portrait and her ringing endorsement.
For Champions Sports Bar and Restaurant, which opened
yesterday, it was a rare bargain. The American family-style
eatery paid over US$100,000 to secure its other pieces of sports
memorabilia which, along with Basuki's contribution, cover the
walls of the new diner.
Champions arrives in Indonesia hot on the heels of Planet
Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe and is home to nearly 300
treasures of sporting history, ranging from a pair of Muhammad
Ali's boxing shorts to Magic Johnson's Lakers 32 basketball vest,
both of which are autographed.
Signed photographs of all-time greats like Jimmy Connors and
Joe DiMaggio surround the 245-seat dining area. With soft
lighting and an unobtrusive color scheme of autumn red and forest
green, the ambiance is easy-going.
But although Champions is aiming to attract families and
"young professionals" to its dining tables, there is plenty to do
besides eating.
A well-stocked, five-sided, island bar dominates the front
half of the restaurant and a smaller cocktail bar guards the
rear. Hovering above the island bar are four giant video screens,
billed as the "most extensive video system in Jakarta" by
restaurant manager Shayne Thomas, who claims he has checked out
the ones at Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe personally.
Sports fans won't know which way to look. With the help of
eight regular-sized TV sets positioned around the restaurant,
Thomas says he can simultaneously tune in the system to every
sports channel available in Asia. And, once a hook-up to the
Reuters news service is installed, the latest sports results will
flash up on electronic message boards above the bar the moment
they come in.
On big sports days, events will be played live over all 12
screens and Thomas hopes to draw in the crowds to cheer for their
teams. Special promotions will be scheduled to coincide with
important events on the sporting calendar.
Champions also boasts a small stage, where bands will play
live in the evenings, but Thomas says sport will always take
precedence over music. "If we're watching a game on the screens,
the band won't be allowed to start until it's finished. That's
the priority."
This commitment will no doubt come as a relief to the
restaurant's technician, who must live in constant fear of a
power blackout. The combination of TVs, music equipment, air
conditioners and air purifiers already blew the main fuse once,
prompting Thomas to request extra juice from the power company.
Watching, of course, is no substitute for doing, and Champions
has a billiards table near the island bar and will soon be taking
stock of an air-hockey game. The restaurant itself plans to be
active in local sports and will soon be recruiting its own soccer
team. In addition, Champions will be sponsoring local sports
teams, as well as making donations to various international
sports charities.
The Jakarta branch, on Jl. Kemang Raya, is the 35th to open
since Champions was established in Washington, D.C. 17 years ago,
and it is the first to open in Asia. With 200 parking spaces out
back, the restaurant is surely onto a winner in the densely
populated Kemang area. It also has a VIP room with space for 14
guests which can be booked for special occasions.
Like Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe, the food menu at
Champions is broadly American-Mexican, with a few international
favorites thrown in. Appetizers include nachos (Rp 6,550) and
chicken wings (Rp 9,750), and main courses include burgers (Rp
11,500), mixed grill (Rp 24,000) and beef or chicken fajitas (Rp
15,550). An ice cream dessert costs Rp 6,550. The extensive
drinks menu includes Bintang draught (Rp 8,500), Campari (Rp
12,000) and orange juice (Rp 8,500), and cocktails start at Rp
12,500. Add 17 percent tax and services to all these prices.
The whole package was one big thumbs up for a group of
Canadians, already on their second visit to Champions. The
restaurant is targeting the local expat community as strongly as
Indonesians, and expects the eventual mix to be even-balanced.
The Canadians gave it their stamp of approval, the only
reservation being that the service "needs a bit of work, but its
early days yet". Emma, aged three, had just one thing to say:
"Want more."
As for Yayuk Basuki, who was invited to the press launch, she
says she'll be back, but was coy when asked whether the mouth-
watering Champions' menu posed a threat to her peak physical
fitness.
"I think it's OK to enjoy yourself once in a while," she said,
obviously convinced.
Champions is keen to acquire memorabilia from other Indonesian
sports heroes and even has plans for sporting figures to buy
shares in its operation.
But even in the restaurant that seems to offer everything,
life is never perfect. When manager Shayne Thomas, of all people,
tried to order some food, he twice failed to flag down a waiter.
Finally, to his relief, a waitress heard his cries and brought
over the menu. A little ruffled, he muttered: "It must be quite
loud in this area."