Malaysians are truly passionate sports fans.
From football, badminton, and motor racing to sepak takraw, these matches draw in large crowds that often erupt into loud cheers, signifying their love of sports.
Watching sports with other passionate fans is best coupled with food, making it no surprise that food and beverage (F&B) outlets use live sports to attract patrons for longer periods of time and to keep them coming back for more.
The Olive Tree Group, which consists of restaurants such as Rockafellers, Rock Bottom, Olive Kitchen+Bar, Sutraa, La Chica, Temptations, Why Not, Luca, The Beach Bar and WoW Genting all have one thing in common — big screen televisions at every corner broadcasting the best of live sports, including multiple sporting events in a single night.
Senior operations manager of The Olive Tree Group Saravanan believes that diners prioritise sports first before food and drinks.
“Our customers keep coming back because they trust us to show the biggest sports week in and week out.
“Live sports have helped us keep them longer at all our premises and have turned casual diners into loyal customers.
“As we serve a wide variety of customers, we have learnt to identify what they want to watch and have been able to accommodate multi-screen sports coverage in a single premise to attract more customers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Adrian Ee, Director, Hotels (Banyan Tree KL, Pavilion Hotel KL by Banyan Tree, Le Meridien Petaling Jaya & Premiere Hotel Klang) said: “We’re glad that tourism in Malaysia is picking back up again, and while our country offers a great nightlife, travellers often wind down after a busy day by watching sports in the comfort of their rooms.
“Our bars may offer a different atmosphere and attract a different crowd compared to other eateries, but live sports is still a must so our customers don’t miss out on their favourite team. After all, sports is universal, and we attract a global customer base,” he added.
As the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is set to kick off on Nov 21, many mamak restaurants are looking forward to the occasion.
These eateries are anticipating a steady stream of customers leading up to the grand finals on Dec 18, seeing as the matches will be taking place at various times between 6.00pm until 3.00am.
For founder and executive chairman of Restoran Ali Maju and president of Persatuan Pengusaha Restoran Muslim Malaysia (PRESMA) Jawahar Ali, he believed that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the busiest period for his outlets.
“Rain or shine, sports fans will occupy seats at our outlets to support their favourite team. We cannot afford to miss a single second of the action, which is why we have entrusted Astro to stream uninterrupted live sports at all our outlets,” he said.
Astro offers business establishments the best of sports from all around the world to help F&B outlets generate more footfall and in return increase their earnings.
Head of Enterprise Business of Astro Kevin Ng said that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is a huge opportunity for all eateries, regardless of type and size.
“Malaysians are aware of Astro’s excellent sports coverage and there’s no better way to support our customers with our latest VIP packs for business establishments. Astro is the only licensed broadcaster in Malaysia with commercial rights for full coverage of all 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“Our VIP Packs come with eight screens where customers can enjoy eight different sports content. We also support our customers with official World Cup branding so that their customers know they will get the best experience watching uninterruptedly,” he said.
The Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 is on from Nov 21 to Dec 18.
To find out how Astro can benefit your business, visit their website here.
This article is sponsored by Astro.