6 Ballygunge Place: Has the Brand Reached Its Destination?

In 2016, the promoters of Savourites Hospitality Private Limited, which owned the fine-dining restaurant 6 Ballygunge Place, in Kolkata, were visiting London to explore possible future growth plans. Their foray into the market of Bengali cuisine through 6 Ballygunge Place had been successful and had developed into a strong destination brand. With a view to growing, Savourites’ promoters had ventured into newer product offerings and had tried moving into new geographical markets. In order to expand the brand’s range, they had launched a pan-Asian restaurant; launched the Bengal Lounge, which revived the Bengali penchant for never-ending chat sessions; and started fixed-menu outlets as variants of their core offering, hoping to tap into the middle-class market. They had also moved into other locations within Kolkata and to other cities. Their various expansions and diversifications had gone well, and the team found that the bulk of the growing consumer base was the Bengali customers that they had hoped to attract. They wondered how to keep the growth momentum going while still appealing to this clientele.

This case is best suited for a brand management graduate program. It focuses specifically on branding an offering that lies in the middle of the goods-services continuum. It can be used in a consumer services marketing course in sessions on services branding, in advanced courses on destination branding (place marketing), or in an integrated marketing communications course to cover issues of agency–client relationships. Entrepreneurial marketing is another critical element of the case. The case walks students through the genesis, development, and growth of a fine-dining restaurant and destination brand. It covers brand strategy, marketing communications strategy, planning, and execution. It also emphasizes the use of below-the-line, frugal marketing actions that are essential for helping a new brand gain traction with little investment in marketing. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Develop a marketing structure for a food services business from a services marketing perspective.</li><li>Design an integrated marketing communications strategy for a newly launched brand, keeping in mind initial budgetary constraints.</li><li>Execute a marketing strategy that integrates traditional media activities with below-the-line and social media advertising.</li><li>Evaluate and prioritize the marketing strategy elements necessary to create and manage a destination brand.</li><li>Analyze the strategic options available to any start-up company at the growth stage, and recommend the optimal option.</li></ul>

• fine dining restaurant, destination branding, brand ownership