It’s snowing inside Delhi’s hottest shopping mall
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The temperature is sub zero in here, but excitement ignites the chill air, and the thrill of the chill stokes appetite faster and more furious than any steaming appetiser can.
Quite a concept, this!
Made of ice and maintained at - 6 degree Celsius, this igloo inside the ultra-hip MGF Metropolitan Mall, Saket in Delhi is a rage when the outside temperatures rage above 40 throughout June and July.
An enterprise of Mirage Entertainment, Delhi’s Ice-Lounge has been designed by world-renowned architect, Julian Bayley, the founder of Iceculture that is famous for its hockey rinks, figure-skating venues, speed-skating ovals, outdoor skating paths and other ice-based fun spaces. Puneet Tayal and Kanav Chadda own the India outlet.
Now this is one business that is bound to go bust in winter, right?
“Right,” says Puneet Tayal, with an unruffled smile. “In winter, we totally bombed. December and January saw near-nil walk-ins, even though huddling inside Ice Lounge can actually be more fun in the cold months, because you’re all swaddled up in warm clothes anyway.”
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But of course, Tayal and Chaddha had anticipated this pattern right from the start. “We were very confident that summer’s profits would easily offset the slowdown in winter,” says Tayal. And we were right. Ice Lounge is a hotspot for the young and the fun-loving, and we have more than 100,000 followers on Facebook!”
So, guess what the Ice Lounge people do to battle winter blues? They do nothing! Confident of the sales boost to come with the first stirrings of spring, they simply wait it out. As those in the know will tell you, sometimes, this too can be a great business strategy.
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| Kanav Chadda and Puneet Tayal | |
The Experience
Roll down your sleeves, put on bright, specially designed jackets, gloves and boots, and march right in.
Wow, ice everywhere! In fact, everything here is made of ice: the walls, the bar, the sculptures, the seats, and hey—even the glass you’re holding! Which of the 50 varieties of cocktail would you like to try?
Drink done, heavy jackets off, settle down in the lounge for some hot food. This space is a complete contrast to the white iciness of the bar—Mughal inspired interiors, Lebanese, Oriental and Continental cuisine, hip-hop music, psychedelic mood.
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