Restro bar 'Three Wise Men' in Santacruz to reopen this month

From left Owners Atul Chopra Pratik Parekh and Prashant Chadha PicAshish RaneAtul Chopra one of the owners of Three Wise Men has the last week of June 2016 etched in his memory for more reasons than one While it was around his 34th birthday the week did not begin on the cheery note that he had imagined His popular watering hole in the western suburb of Santacruz had faced the wrath of the BMC which demolished illegal portions of the pub While the matter was subjudice and the court had stayed the demolition the BMC did not so much as issue a notice before initiating the action recalls Chopra as we meet him along with Prashant Chadha and Pratik Parekh the three men behind TWM at the venueThe tinted windows allow enough sunshineSix months on the friendly neighbourhood pub that was established in 2012 is hoping to get its groove back as it reopens later this month with the same nameThe place used to be frequented by people from all walks of life right from editors of publications to kids whod just stepped out of college At that point there was no BSe Social or Hoppipola around and we were happy laughs Chadha Living in a digitalised world where a goldfish can hold a thought for longer than the average human being a sixmonth gap can be a long enough time for patrons to change loyalties And this is something that the owners agree is the biggest challenge for them as a brandTWM six months agoFor the first two months we kept our social media page alive by posting pictures and updating our status to Well rebuild soon Stay connected for more updates ThreeWiseMen However we couldnt sustain it because the fact remained that we werent operational says Parekh While the then landlord assured them that they might get the demolished portion back after a point the trio felt they couldnt wait any longer The intervening period was spent brainstorming on the makeover that the place would have to undergo in order to stay relevant and beat competition We decided that from the dark dingy pub vibe we would give it a more cafelike feel where patrons could stop by in the day for a brunch We didnt want them to get a visual fatigue of walking back into the same space againexperimentation was necessary says Parekh The name however they agreed would remain the same Had we changed we would have to start from scratch to build a new identity he addsThe change is evident The allbrick faccedilade dotted by plants is conspicuous by its absence Located uncomfortably close to the local police station the pub sports tinted windows that allow enough sunshine to lend the place a warm glow When we drop by on a Tuesday morning the 900 square feet area from 1350 sq ft is bathed in natural lightThe ceiling earlier pasted with kitschy art frames has now been replaced by artwork of Mexican bullfights Since we are focusing on a menu that offers Mexican food we wanted the decor to complement it Youll now get empanadas fajitas burritos with healthy ingredients like quinos avocado and brown rice apart from of course our good ol pizza which we retained because our patrons loved it says ParekhWhile the decor has changed the owners have retained the Wednesday ladies night Bollywood karaoke nights every Monday and might launch salsa nights as well These are sureshot bets that we know had worked in the past and might work again says Chadha The team has even managed to get most of its staff back who were in touch with them all through Its not just the staff however that he has been waiting for Not a day would go by when we wouldnt receive messages from our customers inquiring about our reopening Thats because right from the start we were always around in the pub in the evening when customers would drop by With time we developed a rapport with them he addsAll three admit to have personally kept in touch with some of their patrons about the imminent comeback In fact recently I uploaded a picture of the place and it got over 400 likes and a flurry of comments in a very short time It just shows people havent forgotten us smiles Chadha