A tastefully loving affair!
A tastefully loving affair!

To observe the day, a few restaurants and hotels have already launched special discounts and innovative offers for the couples. For example, Claridges Hotel, New Delhi brings an ‘All Day Valentine’s Offer’ that spells romance and indulgence. The Valentine Day offer by the hotel include a luxury car, driving the couples down to the hotel for a sumptuous dinner in a private canopy followed by a night in a specially appointed room, to make it a perfect Valentine outing. Tarun Seth, Director F&B, Claridges says, “The All Day Valentine’s Offer rightly captures the spirit of Valentine’s Day.”

Likewise, Pullman Gurgaon Central Park, a part of Accor Group of Hotel offers an exclusive romantic evening at all the restaurants along with an exclusive Valentine’s Day weekend packages for dinner, overnight stay and lavish buffet breakfast starting at Rs7900 plus tax per couple.

Offerings at across segments

As the name suggests, fine- dine restaurants offer customers the finest foods, service and atmosphere and to celebrate the season of love, fine-dine restaurants are wooing consumers with specially designed dinner/lunch and staying services. Caperberry and Fava, the two fine dine restaurants owned by Chef Abhijit Saha of Avant Garde Hospitality has special three and four course dinners planned for the day with special offers of champagnes and wines. The couples will also have an opportunity to win vouchers and a host of other prizes organised at the restaurants.

Speaking about the special offerings planned by the Olive Bar & Kitchen, Prabhakar, Manager of the restaurant informs, “We are offering a gourmet menu- Indiana along with exotic martini for couples along with live band priced at Rs 4999 plus taxes.”

Similarly when it comes to QSR segment which is popularly known for giving offers more frequently has also come up with specially designed combo-meals, donoughts etc to celebrate the occasion. For example, Krispy Kreme, the US based doughnuts brand which has recently opened its outlet in Delhi-NCR is offering the new heart-shaped Valentines doughnuts to share love with family, friends and loved ones.

On the other hand, Multicuisine restaurant, Machan located at Taj Mahal Palace, New Delhi is offering a ‘buffet’ menu for couple at Rs 5000 plus taxes on 14th February.

 Chocolates may fall short

While the celebration of Valentine Day is getting bigger in the country with each passing year, 2014 Valentine Day may face shortage of chocolates in the stores. As because of the tightening of the gourmet import policy by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), reportedly around 16 tonnes of imported gourmet chocolates and related products are awaiting clearance at major ports across the country, ahead of the Valentine’s Day when demand for such items peak. Earlier, retailers had faced a similar problem during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Addressing the same, Dharmendra Singh, Co-owner, The Ancient Barbeque, says, “We have set up our own bakery to produce chocolates as we were aware of the fact that the gourmet companies and the suppliers are going to face shortage of imported chocolates."

Abhishek Sarma, Senior Manager, The Gourmet Company that retail chocolates explains, "We are facing the shortage in the supply of the chocolates due to the new packaging and labelling norms which the suppliers need to compile."

He further added, "The problem can be solved only when the suppliers get the compliance of the new policy by the FSSAI."

Promotional strategies

From the above examples it is quite imperative that restaurants in the capital are aggressively capitalising the occasion, however it is the marketing strategy that can keep a restaurant ahead of others. Restaurants like Aanch used social media and they posted offers on Facebook to inform the large section of people while fine dining restaurants have used bulk sms- and email marketing strategies along with social media to reach to their customer.

 
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