|
The Nanglo WAY!
By Parakram Singh Yonzon
Good music drifts in the air. Families, couples, children are surrounded by a pleasant atmosphere while enjoying delicious food. The musical band calls for a break and a magician comes onto the stage and performs before the crowd. Children with painted faces are running around with friends. Looks like a fete but only so much more! You must be wondering where all this is taking place. It’s Sanibar Mela at the Sundhara outlet of Nanglo—The Bakery Café.
 |
Arati Gurung, Events Manager of Nanglo International says, ‘Saturday is the day when you want to enjoy a day out after a week of hard work. So, we’ve created an atmosphere for our clients so as to drive away the stress.’ Various food stalls are put up on that day to provide a variety of food options. The stalls have Malekhu ko machha, Indian fast food dishes such as pani puri, Newari dishes and Indian kulfies. ‘We have arranged this to introduce our customers to other foods which are not in our regular menu,’ says Gurung. Magic shows and puppet shows are also some of the attractions.
‘Saturday Children Day’ at the New Baneswor, Sundhara and Teku outlets is another promotional event held by Nanglo. These events have become so popular that many parents bring their children and leave them there for hours. Fun games with lots of prizes are the main attractions. The number of people coming to these outlets on Saturdays is ever increasing.
Nanglo International
In 1973, Shyam Kakshapati, the Chairman of Nanglo International started Café de Park, the first “informal” restaurant in Nepal at Ratna Park, which was moved to Durbarmarg in 1976 to become the Nanglo Café and Pub turning itself into a Western style snack bar with a fast food menu. In 28 years, Nanglo is now a premium nation wide chain of restaurants with dining outlets in key areas in the Kathmandu Valley as well as in other parts of Nepal . They include Nanglo Café and Pub, Nanglo Bakery Cafés and Nanglo Cake Shop, Nanglo Chinese Room, Nanglo Deli, Cyber Kitchen and Nanglo West in Tansen and Butwal in the south-west Nepal .
The first outlet of The Bakery Café at Teen Dhara was opened in 1991. Soon others followed and now there are seven outlets of The Bakery Café in Kathmandu Valley —at Jawalakhel, Sundhara, New Baneswor, Maharajgunj, Teku and Thamel. A new outlet will be opened soon at Boudha.
Other Promotions
‘We have tied up with different media such as Channel Nepal , Wave Magazine, Kathmandu Infotiser Magazine and Hits FM,’ informs Pooja Shrestha, Marketing Manager of Nanglo International. The company has been working with Hits FM for the last six years and it sponsors two shows a week —Nanglo’s Good Vibration and Radio Active. Nanglo introduced Club Bakery Café in September 2002, which now boasts of more than a thousand members. A membership for the club costs Rs. 1,000 and is valid for two years and a member is entitled to 10% discount in every Nanglo outlet as well as at the Riverside Spring Resort, Kurintar and other exclusive retail outlets in Kathmandu . ‘On Fridays, we screen English movies at the Sundhara outlet and this attracts youngsters, who come in groups to sit, eat and enjoy the movies. So far, we have been receiving good reviews regarding the movie show,’ informs Shrestha. The slogan of The Bakery Café—Where the young hearts meet!— is based on the principle that “young” implies “you are never too old.” It gives people a youthful feeling while enjoying the food in their outlets.
MoMo Man
“MoMo Mania” is one of the most successful and awaited events organised in several Bakery Café outlets annually. Nanglo and momo have a long history together. ‘We have been promoting momos of different kinds ever since we started our service. That is why we have come up with the idea of MoMo Man from this year onwards,’ says Gurung. The so-called MoMo Man is a cartoon figure resembling a momo cha. With MoMo Man, this year’s MoMo Mania is definitely expected to be a grand event for Nanglo.
Back To the Basics
Today, customers are very particular about how their food is prepared and Nanglo has caught on that sentiment profitably. Its outlets have open kitchens thus giving the customers an opportunity to see their food being prepared. ‘The open kitchen guaranteeing hygiene and cleanliness is what sets us apart from the crowd,’ says Gurung confidently. While the idea of an open kitchen has indeed worked miracles for the company, they also have come up with comments boxes in every Nanglo outlet to collect information and comments from the customers. ‘We are focusing on marketing with a personal touch. We are able to know what our customers want, how they want it and we are still working on more surveys regarding the same,’ says Shrestha. At a time when restaurateurs are offering people what they have, Nanglo’s marketing strategy is to go back to the basics and find out what people really want.
|
