Cricket Delivers Pizza Sales

Eateries expect a rise in sales every time Bangalore or India play a match
Cricket Delivers Pizza Sales

Sweltering heat can slow down business for eateries across the city, but summer or winter, cricket matches, especially when the Indian team plays, boost sales, mainly in the form of deliveries. And with IPL back, though in Dubai, eateries are anticipating an increase in demand.

“IPL plays a major role in sales,” says Kumar, assistant manager, Papa John’s, Jayanagar. “Deliveries go up by 12 to 14 per cent, and for dine-in, transactions increase by 10 to 15 in number.”

This is not just when there is an RCB match. “There are a variety of people in Bangalore, supporting various teams, following all the matches,” he adds.

The manager of Dominos in a mall in the city says that a rise in sales by `10,000 to `115,000 per store is expected when Team India is in the fray.

“It’s mostly deliveries because that’s what we specialise in,” he tells City Express, on condition of anonymity.  “People who want to go out to watch shows generally troop into pubs; most places in Brigade Road are full,” he states.

Yet, he maintains that the chain does not have to worry about deputing extra personnel for deliveries to handle the spike in demand. “There’s more pressure, but since we have 90 outlets in Bangalore, and the pressure is distributed across all of them.”

While at Dominos business is even brisker if India bats in the second innings, a staff member of one of the larger burger chains says that India-Pakistan matches invite most sales.

“If India is batting in the first innings, people order in; if they’re fielding first, they walk into the store, grab a bite to eat and rush back home to catch the second innings. This is if it’s a 20-20, but if it’s a 50-over match, people are a little more relaxed,” he observes.

It is not just fast food joints that are bustling during the cricket season. Nandhini, an Andhra cuisine restaurant chain too, is ready for the rush of orders that come when a game is on. “Turn-out rises almost by a 50 per cent, but we don’t hire temporary hands to cope as they might not be able to communicate with customers well. So we have our 60 drivers from across 14 restaurants pitching in - they’re familiar with city routes too,” says Vasu Naidu, manager, of the New BEL Road branch.

When it comes to dine-in, though the restaurant has four TV sets dedicated for cricket matches, the rise in transactions is negligible, about two to three per cent. “But because the match is playing, people come and lounge around,” he says, adding that it results in more orders.

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The New Indian Express
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