Travel restrictions are (for the moment) behind us, and this last month or so has, for many, felt like another lockdown. As with the first and second lockdowns, restaurants and pubs really felt the pinch, and will continue to do so, for while travel restrictions have been lifted, restaurants and pubs are still able to operate only online in a bid to maintain public health and safety.
The locale of Park Street is famous for it’s small, powerful portfolio of restaurants and pubs and is always the place to go for a lovely evening (or night) out. Amidst this third wave, the team behind Park Street, Park Street Mews (PSM) put together a virtual event, “7 Days of Lockdown Fun with PSM”, working with all its partner restaurants to connect with its patrons online in an exciting and personal way at a time when being able to visit Park Street seems too far away for comfort.
The event 7 Days of Lockdown Fun took place from 19 to 25 June with each day featuring a virtual event from one of its partner restaurants. Brunch spoke to PSM Developer Tasneem Moosajee for more on what inspired 7 Days of Lockdown Fun with PSM and how it took place.
What inspired the 7 Days of Lockdown Fun with PSM event?
Let’s face it, we are all stuck at home and we all have our own problems to deal with, so with the hopes of brushing off the pandemic blues with some fun and entertainment that resonates with PSM, 7 Days of Lockdown Fun was created.
With travel restrictions imposed and the forced closure of restaurants/pubs amidst all non-essential establishments to help flatten the curve, the majority of the restaurants at PSM have been operating solely on deliveries to date. Whilst we appreciate the efforts made by the frontline Covid-19 response teams, the harsh reality is that the livelihoods of those in the restaurant and hospitality industry (and by no means limited to) are severely affected. The current circumstances are such that we are all struggling to make ends meet and have had to make many sacrifices.
In these trying times we wanted to create an outlet to uplift everyone’s spirit. Thus, the “7 Days of Mews Lockdown Fun” campaign was rolled out together with the restaurants of PSM: Café Francias, PST (Park Street Trattoria), Curve Bar, Kuuraku, Butter Boutique, Chambers, and Monsoon. We also wanted to connect with our customers and maintain a persistent online engagement with the PSM audience, as we at PSM truly do miss our customers and creating a buzz down “The Street with Many Moods”.
How did 7 Days of Lockdown Fun with PSM come together, given the challenges of the imposed travel restrictions?
The entire campaign was rolled out remotely and broadcasted on the PSM social media platforms. All artwork and compilations were created and published in-house, with our staff working from home, and the campaign was entirely created and finalised via Zoom meetings.
Digitize marketing agency published all the media content provided by PSM according to the set timelines and all files were transferred to them electronically through WeTransfer. Videos were done in the respective restaurants complying to health and safety standards, some used their own video equipment, and the rest were filmed by Kumar Bopearachchi and Lahiru Aravinthakumar.
All restaurants took part, but most of it was done remotely to honour the restrictions, so it’s been a while since we last interacted with the entire Mews Family! But the campaign gave an opportunity for all of us to work together after a significant amount of time due to the lockdown which everyone appreciated.
Each restaurant was given a particular day of the week to host an activity, be it a meal prep, musical entertainment, pub quiz, or an opportunity to have a restaurant special at the comforts of your home. We wanted to bring the concept of Mews to your home through an online platform. The line-up of activities was broadcasted online on PSM IG, FB, and YouTube platforms from Saturday, 19 June.
- Café Francias hosted a decadent French dessert tutorial by the head chef Bertrand Dubois
- PST held an interactive session on how to make a Gorgonzola and Mele pizza at home and an option to make a “PST” pizza in the comfort of your home with PST’s Pizza-in-a-box Assembly Kit via Uber Eats
- Chambers created a simple and easy-to-make healthy zucchini fritter tutorial by the chefs of Chambers
- Butter Boutique held an easy and simple latte art tutorial by the baristas of BB to make everyone’s morning coffee/hot chocolate fun and tasty
- Kuuraku launched a quick step-by-step guide to enjoy a home-assembled kuuraku ramen bowl by purchasing Kuuraku’s Make-it-yourself Ramen Kit via Uber Eats
- Monsoon hosted a fun and entertaining session of mellow acoustics courtesy Ravin Ratnam to bring a sense of the usual evening vibes of Monsoon with Ravin to your homes
- As the last activity of The Mews 7 Day Lockdown Fun, Curve Bar held a fun virtual pub quiz to brush off the pandemic blues
What was the response like to 7 Days of Lockdown Fun?
We’ve had a positive response to the campaigns and a lot of frequent visitors of PSM have shown their appreciation of the campaign that we ran. We created a platform to connect with our audience and hope that they will support The Mews once we reach the new normal.
How has Park Street as a whole managed travel restrictions?
It’s been really tough on all our establishments and The Street as a whole as mentioned earlier. Employees who have worked tirelessly have been severely affected and as a result their families too. Whilst we have taken initiatives to support them through various CSR activities we are hopeful and wish for a better new normal.
What have you got planned for the future once the third wave passes?
Run business as per the new normal standards. It’s hard to really plan anything given the uncertainty and volatility of the industry we are in and the economy as a whole given the chaos the pandemic has created, with its first, second, third, and who knows how many waves at this point. But volatility is inevitable and we will take on every curveball in good stride, as we have done in the past. We all just have to strap in and hold on for the ride and make sure all our employees are taken care of. They are our priority. We hope we can have our customary Mews Light Up this year too.
