Cricket is the hottest item on restaurant menus
Cricket World Cup to give a big boost to their businesses even as social media users expressed surprise that the stadium was not full for India's first match against Australia on Sunday.
Executives working in these industries said they expect a 30-40% spike in sales during the tournament that will conclude on November 19.
Many bars and restaurants have rolled out discounts, promotions, merchandise, cricket-themed menus, screenings, theme decor, and even virtual reality zones.
Food delivery app Zomato on Sunday said it has signed actor Ranveer Singh and cricketer Chris Gayle to catch the «cricket energy» for its World Cup campaigns, which includes an AI-generated film.
'Big spike in reservations'
Zorawar Kalra, founder of Massive Restaurants that runs Farzi Cafe, Masala Library and Bo Tai, said Sunday's match would have led to a 25-35% increase in «organic» reservations for his outlets that were screening it compared to normal Sundays. «I say organic because it wasn't like we proactive reached out to these customers.
The metros saw greater footfalls but there were crowds in even markets such as Jabalpur,» he said.
However, it was business as usual on Sunday evening at Cyberhub in Gurgaon, a complex of pubs and restaurants.
«Sunday evenings are usually not packed while lunch time is busy. Today is no exception,» said a manager at a prominent restaurant asking not to be named.
