We’d been following the entry of “MOTI MAHAL DELUX Tandoori Trail” restaurant at Cuttack for the last few weeks. That their North Indian cuisine spread is a big hit, can be judged from the buzz it has created in the twin cities. Their FB page www.facebook.com/motimahalcuttack is indeed drawing views as their restaurant is drawing footfalls.
We found some of their strategies disruptive, for a couple of reasons :
First this was a queer move on the part of any national chain to enter Odisha first through Cuttack. All marquee brands normally set up base at Bhubaneswar first, then Cuttack is always the second preference. But here Moti Mahal made a disruptive strategy by launching first at Cuttack. And it seems to be paying off.
Secondly, the restaurant (especially on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) encourages guests to book a table in advance. Finding out that the 78 seater restaurant actually gets full on those 4 days, guests actually are having to book table in advance – something very new to Cuttack.
Thirdly, they have a hugely popular and hyperactive FB page. The post views are an indication of the eyeballs it’s drawing. Add to that, we also observed that, the marketing team behind the page, does make the page totally interactive.
Fourth, they have come out with combo packages, targeted at specific guests. Their First launch is an offer of what they call “The Lunch Plate”. This is a first of a kind offer at Cuttack in fine dine space. That of a fixed meal lunch plate (Veg and Non-Vegetarian) from Monday to Friday. The 2nd launch is an offer called “Kitty Afternoons”. Here they offer a perfect and serene ambiance for Kitty Parties during lunch time. And have designed specific Kitty menus. They also offer a special discount on ala-carte orders during these kitty sessions.
We will keep tracking this restaurant for quite some time, to see what more strategies they adopt in this FnB space.