Mega star cast

Mumbai’s first celebrity restaurant, India Talkies, which was built along the lines of Planet Hollywood, never even saw the daylight. Bollywood stars like Sunil Shetty, Sharad Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Celina Jaitley and more recently our cricket captain Sourav Ganguly have plunged into the culinary business, but not all have been winning propositions.

Although celebrity endorsements can bring in the initial crowds, long term potential in India cannot be taken for granted. Ask Madhu Menon, who owns the popular ‘Shiok Far-Eastern Cuisine’ in Bangalore and he states, “Indians love value for money, therefore a celebrity name, especially Hollywood, is simply not enough to garner interest in a restaurant. In fact what’s important is the service”.

The association of a restaurant to a celebrity is akin to a mega star cast for a movie. However great your star cast is, the movie has to click with the audience.

Similarly these restaurants will have to better adapt to Indian tastes and preferences to ensure survival and cannot rely on a name alone.