While some hotels have been serving customers directly from refrigerators and glass cupboards, those that have bars are being run by waiters instead of trained bartenders. Either way, hoteliers in the east are realizing the inconvenience felt by visitors who are looking to enjoy a drink or two in a well-set bar ambience.
Small corners designated for makeshift bars in a big hotel don’t really satisfy customers, admit hoteliers, one of whom is Roshan Thapa.
“Although we made a bar with a black and white theme, but without a professional to manage it, it wasn’t faring well,” shared Hotel Ratna’s proprietor Thapa. “So we’re going to improve our bar to satisfy our guests,” he said and further expressed, “A proper bar is also necessary to manage the crowd at the tables.”
Hotel Xenial, on the other hand, had completely removed its bar. “At the request of visitors, we’re now reopening our bar,” stated proprietor Kishor Niraula. Drinks at the hotel were being served at the tables, and if needed, the restaurant’s counter was being used as a temporary bar.
“Many domestic tourists from the eastern hills stay in Biratnagar during their visits, and improving the bars may lengthen their visits,” states local industrialist Arun Khetan. “More than the drinks, it’s the décor of the bar that should attract customers.”
Therefore, to make its bar more appropriate and attractive, Hotel Ratna has invited bar expert Raj Kumar DC from Kathmandu.
“Hotels in the area don’t have proper knowledge of the concept of bars and its culture,” said DC.
“There’s a huge difference between sitting at a table and drinking until you’re intoxicated, and enjoy drinking a peg or two at a bar,” pointed out DC. Some like to go to a bar after a day’s hard work and some even gather at a bar for a meeting, he added.
DC will be opening a Cocktail and Drinks College and Bar in Kathmandu in about a month. It will be the first of its kind in Nepal.
“Five months after its opening, the college will have a branch set up in Biratnagar as well,” informed DC.
Currently, Biratnagar’s own South Asian School of Tourism and Hotel Management (SASTHM), affiliated with Purbanchal University, is also preparing to run separate classes on bar-tending. SASTHM is the first hotel management institute of eastern Nepal, where DC himself recently conducted a class on the culture of bars.
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