2 Bandits Lounge & Bar | Feature Friday by Houssup.com
Rendezvous with the thug
: Shivang Gupta
By:- Prerna Kapoor
Photos courtesy:- Mitul Sharma
Photos courtesy:- Mitul Sharma
___________
“This was my 21st
outlet of establishment, out of which 7 were owned by me and the rest I opened
as a consultant, and I would say that it’s the experience and the inspiration
that you have to gather and work with!”
Despite of so many exciting
quick food delivery apps available in the market, if someone still chooses to
dine in, it is because of the overall wholesome experience one consumes along
with the food. The ambience, the sitting, the setting, the music and of course,
the service, each one of these are highly important to make your dining
experience worth enjoying.
WHEREABOUTS
In the midst
of a lane packed with exciting and budget restaurants, designed on various
themes and offering world-class cuisine options, 2 Bandits Lounge & Bar, located on
level one, in the far corner of the heart of South Campus, Satya Niketan, has a
breathtaking experience to offer more than just amazing food. Graciously
flinging open its sizeable mahogany door, one may find this enchanting,
vibrant, cafe always filled up to the brim.
THE STORY
No, there aren’t thugs and
bandits playing poker and sipping down beer in this café. Neither you
would find any goons standing at the corner and staring at you. 2 Bandits
Lounge & Bar is a place with nice and quirky seating arrangement,
interestingly planned interior and a perfect space for those, who need cozy and
comfortable corner (and the swing seating!) while eating. We, at Houssup,
took a step forward and confer with the co-owner of 2 Bandits lounge & bar,
Shivang Gupta, to find out what goes into bringing a café to life!
Why the name 2 Bandits?
I had a peculiar plan to come to Satya Niketan,
after I had to shut down my other café because of a dispute, and I was clear in
the fact that I wanted something substantial and different this time. I joined
this venture as a consultant first, but my, now, another partner, wanted to do
this jointly. Everyone called him a ‘dakoo’ in school and he wanted the
café to resonate his personality. I asked him what will he do with the name if
I join in and he said,” let’s keep it 2 bandits!” South campus is
a political area and we knew we would face a lot of problems, that’s why
bandits was a perfect name for us!
How did you manage to get liquor licence near
the campus area?
The procedure was based purely out of the
experience. We learned that liquor cannot be served within the 100m vicinity of
a religious, educational or a government place. But at the same time, we
realized that the span is calculated in accordance with the complete route map.
Hence, the stretch covered by the staircase, leading to the café on the first
floor, would also be added, which eventually led us to have a licence to serve
liquor. When we received the letter of initiation, we gave a second thought to
the idea of serving liquor near to the campus. But we realized that bandits
need alcohol and so we needed it.
We, at Houssup, believe that a
person comes to a café for food just once, rest all the other times he drops in
for the experience that the café has to offer, for which you need to have
engaging interiors. Tell me what all went into transforming a vacant space into
a place this good.
One thing that we knew was that an interior for
a café can start from INR50 and can go upto INR50crores. The complete
calculation of the amount to be spent should be dependent on the return you’ll
get, after the inception of the café. For the same reason, everything done in
the interiors of this lounge is changeable, yet soothing and attractive.
We adorned the walls, limewashed in dull yellow
hue and covered with wood shavings, with minimalistic ornamentations, like
unoccupied photoframes and vibrant tea kettles, and balanced the gaze with deep
coloured seating arrangement. The floor seating and swing seating were added to
counterpart to the campus vibe. We enclosed the direct lighting within a steel
frame and filled the enclosure with a layer of dry straw. A trunk of Mango tree
was imported and it was decided that it would employ to hang client feedback
stories. All these ideas, I believe, are the interior basicity of this café.
What would be that one reason for patrons to
vouch for your lounge over the plethora of others available to them?
There is a reason why people go out splurging in
a restaurant when they can sit back and have considerable food at home. It’s
mainly because of the two things; one is entertainment and other is experience.
I always say, and I’ll state it again, I don’t sell food, I sell an experience.
Everytime a platter of food is brought to a table, we make sure we are serving
an experience along with it.
IN A NUTSHELL
They say, “We are
the 2 Bandits, who have robbed world cuisine and brought it to you on a platter
with sheesha on the side.” Indeed, we agree.
It may be the vibrant outlook of the open bar,
in the middle of the cafe, ornamented with glass green bottles, the
elaborative menu or the seamless flow of lively colours throughout the café,
the impression this café leaves on each person entering it, is unparalleled.
An Effort by:- Houssup.com
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