Ramanpreet Singh was always intrigued by the hospitality industry since his school days. Raman, along with his brothers took over his family creation, Satguru Punjabi Rasoi in Pune and expanded it across Pune. Satgurus Punjabi Rasoi was awarded the best – Punjabi cuisine category in Pune city – by Indian Lifestyle awards 2015.
Soon, Ramanpreet had the urge to establish something unique for the patrons in Pune and that is when he came up with the ultra-modern concept of The Cult- An Ultimate Experience of Food & Nightlife in Magarpatta, Pune. The Cult was founded in June 2019. It is a joint venture of, Owners Rishu and Raman along with their Co-Owners Sanjay Magar, Nilesh Joshi, and Anil Meme.
It is a one-stop destination for the ones who want to experience marvellous food and an extraordinary party!
In Conversation With Ramanpreet Singh of The Cult
In an exclusive conversation with The Restaurant Times, Ramanpreet Singh talks of his journey in the industry, the story behind The Cult, competition and marketing mix and a lot more.
The Story Behind The Cult
The Cult has two different yet niche properties called Cult House and Cult Terra. The property is located in the heart of Magarpatta and is a 40,000 sq. ft. The Cult House includes the bar and club area which ensures the guests a bright evening. It’s a big bungalow structure within the property with high ceilings. The Cult Terra is the garden terrace with open-air dining space with rich greenery all around. The green and serene setting and dreamy ambience set the perfect mood for the patrons. The Cult also has a huge lawn at the back of their establishment.
According to Raman, The Cult is what Magarpatta was missing. The Cult is an entire package offering best in class food and innovative cocktails and classic drinks. The club area hosts swanky parties for the party lovers in Pune. The USP of The Cult is the experience which they offer, with the interplay of wholesome food and peaceful ambience!
Competition and Marketing Mix
Raman tells that competition is a major challenge in Pune. Identifying one’s competition is an important factor that restaurateurs must take care of. Restaurants are popping up very frequently in Pune. New competitors enter the market quite regularly to steal one’s clients. Hence, restaurateurs need to constantly find new methods to raise the bar and adopt policies to beat restaurant competition without lowering their earnings.
‘There is a mall next to The Cult which has ten amazing fine dine restaurants inside it, which is a major threat to us,’ says Singh.
Singh was able to overcome this challenge because of the picturesque ambience of Cult Terra, along with the classic drinks and food they offer. Also, the vibrant lighting makes Cult House an ultimate spot for a party.
The competition is fierce in the restaurant industry, marketing one’s restaurant is very crucial. Food photos, Partnering up with online food partners for customer loyalty programs, Geo-targeting Ads, Email Marketing, Posting on social media regularly are some of the ways to target and attract customers.
Raman tells that he feels blessed to have a strong PR team which helped him to promote The Cult extensively across Pune. They approached various food bloggers, influencers from across the city who helped them to advertise The Cult in Pune by reviewing the food, posting pictures of food, the ambience and giving an overall view of the place. For social media marketing, the more specific one’s strategy is, the more effective the execution will be.
Apart from the social media campaigns, they also branded their restaurant through print media, by putting up hoardings across the city using quirky captions to attract customers.
Discovering The Right Location
One of the important criteria while starting a restaurant is choosing the restaurant’s location. Studying the demographics and doing market research of a particular location helps in complimenting the final decision of choosing the location. The next question is setting up the restaurant in a stand-alone building or within a shopping centre. While stand-alone buildings tend to provide a unique venue, shopping centres are increasingly providing great opportunities for restaurants.
The Cult is situated in Magarpatta, Pune which is full of the IT crowd. Raman tells that acquiring land in Pune is a task. It took him a few months to acquire land in Magarpatta.
Raman chose Magarpatta for setting up The Cult, as it is located in the heart of the city and has easy access to all the nearby areas and malls. Also, Raman genuinely feels that Magarpatta was lacking a rich establishment like The Cult.
“The Cult gives an exquisite experience of both food and nightlife. Earlier, patrons had to travel till Corvara, as it is full of lounges and clubs. We wanted to establish a one-stop destination for food enthusiasts and party lovers. The route to Corvara is usually full of traffic, it would be more convenient for the patrons to visit Magarpatta, which is on the way and have a fun experience here itself,” says Singh.
The Cult being situated in such a vast land, there is no issue in parking as well. It has ample area for parking, it can fit at least 120 cars at once.
Technology Bedding
From taking care of the ambience to taking care of guests at a personalized level, it is a tiresome task to manage a restaurant without the help of technology. The use of a POS system in a restaurant streamlines operations for your restaurant and makes sure that you get better results in lesser time in a more efficient way. POS systems empower the servers to turn more tables, serve efficiently, and sell more high-profit items which can have a huge impact on your bottom line. The detailed data helps to make informed business decisions better.
“We have been using Posist at The Cult. It has helped me to trace the loopholes and rectify it in no time. The Anti-theft Module is my favourite and it is one of the major reasons I chose Posist. It has narrowed down the frauds and loopholes from a vast percentage. I can control my staff, inventory and everything else with the help of Posist,” says Singh.
Singh concludes by saying it is essential to follow one’s instincts and work towards them passionately. He also adds that the response of the concept of the Cult has been overwhelming and he strives to make it number one place in Pune!
