Valet parking finds way into menu cards

Eating out has become a pain in Pune especially on a Saturday night. Diners now have to think twice before they choose a place to have a meal lest it not have sufficient parking place.
The problem is becoming so acute that restaurants are providing valet parking to keep customers happy. In fact, it is now their fourth feature after mood, menu and service.Whether it’s Le Pizzeria, Mainlaind China, Indyaki or Five Elements, many restaurants are opting for this solution.
Take for example the newly opened Five Elements. Situated on a busy road, its part-owner Sunil More feels that they would have lost a major chunk of their clientele had they not provided valet services. "When people go for a family outing, they do not want to be bothered by issues such as ‘where should we park now’. If they find a comfortable parking spot, they will take it or else drive on to another place. That’s exactly what I would do," he says.
According to Zaheer Ahmed, businessman, a regular at Indyaki, "Though valet parking is convenient, it isn’t the only reason why one would want to go or not go to a restaurant." True, we say. Take for example restaurants like Vaishali, Shiv Sagar or even Yana on Fergusson College road. According to IT professional Aditya Kamath who’s also a foodie, "These are the kind of places that offer good food at reasonable rates. So naturally, valet is not something that is expected from them. But then if one is going to a high end place, then nobody wants to walk half a mile to just get to the place."
Partner of the multi-cuisine restaurant Flags, Hiren Karia, elaborates why their six-month-old place has no valet parking. "We have enough space to accomodate up to 200 cars. It may be true that a lot of people think of valet as a plus, but we have had some bad experiences with stealing and accidents. If we feel the need, we will start it later on."
anuradha.kher@timesgroup.com