Revenue Share Models becoming a Win-Win for Restaurants and Entertainment Production Houses
A new trend picking up across the Restaurants in Mumbai is the showcase of Supper Theatre performances, which can further be customized as per themes, to entertain corporate staff and guests at big hotel chains.
Priyanka Banerjee Founder Leo Girl, a Theatre and a film production house talks about live 'Supper Theatre' and Entertainment scenario, taking the concept to a couple of exciting restaurant venues across the city like The Sassy Spoon, Uno Mas and The Clearing House, while the marketing heads tell the way ahead in creating a deal which is mutually benefiting.
Talking about the need to finding alternative performance venues, Banerjee says, “Looking at the current entertainment scenario we find that there is a need for more performance venues and areas for performers, instead of conventional auditoriums where production houses have to pay major rentals, which is not very economical to go for public theatre format. We decided to find other ways to bring people to watch theatre within the restraint spaces, where they can watch the play, eat something and have a drink.”
“A decade ago in the concept was prevalent in 5-star Hotels but only for the very Elite audiences, but now we took it to various restaurants in Mumbai, as they represent the quality both in terms of interiors to the food and beverages served, equivalent to any 5-star hotel. So we started doing ‘Supper Theatre’ in collaboration with various restaurants across the city” added Banerjee.
On business Model Banerjee, said, “So in the first show we allow revenue sharing and after that, it has to be a flat fee for the performers because we are putting them production together, which includes hiring the actors, paying for the rehearsal spaces, and props on the stage, that we have already invested in before. So it’s important to secure ourselves with the flat fee and then all the revenue from the tickets, food, and beverages brought by the audience goes to the restaurant.”
Rachel Goenka, Founder & CEO, The Chocolate Spoon Company Pvt Ltd., “We believe in curating new and innovative experiences for our guests and thus Supper Theatre was a concept that we pioneered at The Sassy Spoon. The idea was simple-watching theatre and enjoying a meal as we wanted to showcase something new to our patrons, thereby also supporting the performing arts. It was a treat for our regulars and the concept definitely helped us to tap into a newer target audience.”
On the revenue generation model Goenka said, “ In our first edition in August last year, we had just a few bookings on the days leading up to the performance, but ended up being oversold for the first event which was followed by each of the subsequent 4 editions, as we kept refining the offering. The ticket price charged is to cover the performance cost, while the number of patrons who stay back for drinks and bites after the show has been increasing with every show. It’s a fantastic avenue for upcoming playwrights and actors to showcase their talent. It's great to see other restaurants picking up the concept which is gaining popularity.
Talking on the content of the shows, Banerjee says, “So people love to watch comedy and romantic kind of plays rather than something that is dark or depressing. So we keep our play themes quite light like the play ‘Love truth bombs’ included 5 short one-act plays written by famous authors, like Julian Hoboken, Walter Whites, O. Henry. The idea was to drop truth bombs on the idea of love, wherein every act looked at a different stage of love. The key cast included professional actors like Kohmal Khanna Paolomi Dharamshi, Preeti Kochar Natasha Agrawal, Dwivesh Joshi, who were also keen to experiment with a bit an intimate format that’s quite interactive at the same time, as you can really dance around and experiment, as the audience too wants to spend some good time.”
On scaling up the concept Banerjee adds, “Looking at our success, restaurants are approaching us to try the concepts on their premises, since it is very different from just having a music gig or a stand -up comedy show and it’s something that really engages people emotionally. We also look forward to taking the concept to a hotel chain or a hotel group also if they can take it up as a form of entertainment for their guests and all the residents.”
Kyle Lillywhite Strategic Brand Manager Uno Mas talks about increasing the brand recall value, “Hosting gigs like supper theatre are just add-on experiences to keep our guests engaged. In Spain during the summers, we often see live theatre acts and music performances pop up all over the streets and that’s how we visualized this. These activities definitely act as a hook to give you more potential business and does help significantly increase brand recall and value as it offers a more wholesome experience of the Spanish culture, we are trying to showcase at Uno Más.At the moment, this idea is just in its nascent stage and the idea is to develop an IP like 'Teatro de Verano' which brings more value and business to our brand.”
Ria Chandwani Executive Operations the Clearing House Restaurant talks about driving a new segment of customers, says “Supper Theatre is a fun and exciting concept of dining where the artist and the guest have direct interaction and the restaurant service flows seamlessly around it. This concept has opened up a new segment of the audience for us and repeats clientele with our regular guests. It’s too early to talk about the revenue growth, as the increase in revenue is offset with the cost of production. Although, there is a new found attraction among the guests for a combined dining experience with a performance unlike other places where they either dine or watch a play.
