Move aside WFH, WFR is here

BENGALURU: Every now and then, techie Pruthvi B S intersperses her remote working schedule with some in-person meets with her colleagues. With work from home becoming the norm for the IT folk, Pruthvi and her six colleagues have found BLR Brewing Co - Kitchen and Bar, Electronics City,  an alternate office setting where they can connect.

“It’s spacious, there are safety measures being followed, and most importantly, there’s a steady internet connection. If required, we request for the volume to be reduced when we’re doing official meetings,” says the 30-year-old techie.

In these novel times as the F and B industry struggles to find their feet, and is working on the double to win back the confidence of customers, the city’s restaurants and bars have turned into office spaces. With music that is not intrusive, Chetan Hegde, partner, 1522, often spots office meetings in progress, presentations being held and full-blown work discussions taking place.

Their pubs, which range in size from 3,000 sqft to 14,000 sqft, have seen a 30-40 per cent increase in the number of customers coming in to use the tables as workstations. In their Residency Road outlet they have installed a coffee machine, and offer quick bites like sandwiches which come along with complimentary Wifi. “We haven’t yet worked out a package. The way we look at is, if customers are creating a comfort zone with our brand, then their first choice while stepping out would be our space,” says Hegde. 

Despite the long ride from her house in Frazer Town, Lakshmi Rebecca, founder, Red Bangle, a video production platform, looks forward to working at the spacious Uru Brewpark in JP Nagar. “The tables are distanced so there’s no worry when the mask has to be taken off. With the pandemic putting great emphasis on the open air space, I find this a great option,” says Lakshmi who usually heads there post lunch and spends about 3-4 hours at a stretch.

Go Native has also been witnessing a steady trickle of ‘office-goers’ across its four outlets in the city. It charges Rs 300 for Wifi and the first cup of coffee. “There’s still a lot of hesitancy towards going to a restaurant. Our idea is only an attempt for loyal customers to come back,” says spokesperson Sneh Chawla. Professionals love the fact that you can order a cup of coffee and spend as long as you want, with no one complaining. “You can just find a sunny spot for yourself and stay as long as you like,” says Meetali Kutty, head of marketing, Azure Hospitality, that runs Sly Granny, which is becoming a popular spot for professionals in and around Indiranagar.