{"id":72857,"date":"2024-06-14T09:58:06","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T09:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/14\/no-talent-involved-how-bad-tiktoks-boosted-a-curry-house\/"},"modified":"2024-06-14T09:58:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T09:58:06","slug":"no-talent-involved-how-bad-tiktoks-boosted-a-curry-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/14\/no-talent-involved-how-bad-tiktoks-boosted-a-curry-house\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018No Talent Involved\u2019: How Bad TikToks Boosted a Curry House"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/24\/multimedia\/00xp-urbantandoor-09-vtbp\/00xp-urbantandoor-09-vtbp-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\u2018No Talent Involved\u2019: How Bad TikToks Boosted a Curry House\" title=\"\u2018No Talent Involved\u2019: How Bad TikToks Boosted a Curry House\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The tables were filling up at Urban Tandoor, a British curry house wholesome enough for a family meal and elegant enough for a low-key first date. Painted flowers twist up its entrance and lights adorn the colorful walls inside, a homage to Bristol\u2019s artistic reputation. The local haunt in southwest England promises an array of crowd-pleasers, from jalfrezi to moilee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But it wasn\u2019t only the food that had brought diners to Urban Tandoor on a recent evening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTheir TikToks,\u201d said Jake Smith, 22, who was celebrating his birthday. \u201cI think they\u2019re hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Staff members at this local institution have charmed an audience online with their versions of pop songs, anthems and trends. By most judges of talent, the covers are, well, bad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There is <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@urbantandoorbristol\/video\/7237499892929760538\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cBhaji Girl,<\/a>\u201d in which two employees wear blond wigs \u00e0 la Barbie and Ken and sing about chutney. There\u2019s a \u201cGrease\u201d-inspired <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@urbantandoorbristol\/video\/7271260054114864417\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cYou\u2019re the Naan That I Want<\/a>,\u201d featuring the group in leather and lipstick. In \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@urbantandoorbristol\/video\/7278362645726498080\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Riceside<\/a>,\u201d the popular Killers anthem becomes a tale of a diner whose eyes are bigger than his stomach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">You might, kindly, describe the dancing as \u201cfervent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The singing, reminiscent of a bevy of uncles at a karaoke night, is possibly worse. But production value is beside the point. And their \u201cso-bad-it\u2019s-good\u201d marketing campaign is working, said Sujith D\u2019almeida, the restaurant\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Online, commenters from as far away as Texas vow to visit Bristol one day to eat a meal at Urban Tandoor. In person, Mr. D\u2019Almeida said the restaurant had seen a noticeable boost in diners under the age of 30.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere is no talent involved,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no practice. Somebody just puts on the wig. We just get on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Grown men dancing in costumes may seem silly, but Mr. D\u2019almeida is serious about his business, which he started in 2013 after a career in five-star hotels and on cruise ships. He enlisted the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/nonsensical.agency\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Nonsensical Agency<\/a>, a marketing company in Britain, in 2021 to help further the restaurant\u2019s reach on TikTok.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But he also just wants Urban Tandoor to cheer people up. Some patrons have confided that the videos had entertained them through periods of ill health and depression, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHappiness is something that is lacking in the world at the moment. It is a sad place,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just give them 60 seconds of enjoyment.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-7067b56c\">\u2018I did not dance at my own wedding.\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On a chilly Monday morning, I joined the staff aboard the \u201cBhaji Boat,\u201d a ferry rented as their set for the day. (Most videos are filmed in their restaurant.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">How much work is it to make something so organically bad?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There was not much chitchat at first, as staff members began pulling costumes out of plastic bags. Directing and filming the shoot were members of the Nonsensical Agency team, which also helps Mr. D\u2019almeida come up with ideas and lyrics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAs soon as we put the team up just enjoying themselves, that was where it really started cutting through,\u201d said Natalie Brereton, the agency\u2019s head of TikTok.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Following TikTok trends helped, but Ms. Brereton said Urban Tandoor\u2019s success was built on a longer-term strategy: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to make your own identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Sure enough, when it was time to film, it was as if an energy switch flipped.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Wigs blew in the wind and arms flailed. Tushar Kangane, the operations manager, gyrated his hips. Pramoth Kumar, a waiter, shimmied his shoulders. Passers-by grinned as they watched the group in their pink dresses and electric blue jumpsuits cavort around the boat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On land, the group filmed more videos. One pedestrian shouted, \u201cLove you guys!\u201d (Ultimately, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@urbantandoorbristol\/video\/7352793670401248545?lang=en\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the ferry video<\/a> was filmed several times from different angles.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. D\u2019almeida said the videos had helped the restaurant stay afloat. Curry houses in Britain, which hold a special place in the country\u2019s culinary landscape, have <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/food\/2023\/jun\/04\/they-need-to-evolve-why-britains-curry-houses-are-in-decline\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">faced challenges in recent years<\/a>, from labor shortages, changing palates and Covid lockdowns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe were very worried,\u201d Mr. D\u2019almeida said. But he also said he never wanted Urban Tandoor to just focus on food. He wanted it to be a place of entertainment or escape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI wanted to share much more of the Indian culture,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to blend Bristol with Bombay.\u201d The TikToks, he said, had given a \u201cnew dimension\u201d to their brand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt is matter of one song going viral,\u201d he said, \u201cand then we get clients from all around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But most of the staff members do not even have TikTok, nor did they fancy themselves as entertainers before working at the restaurant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI did not dance in my own wedding,\u201d said Mr. Kangane, 41, who has worked at the restaurant since its inception. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have fun at work, then it\u2019s boring<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-18d5d08a\">Not quitting their night jobs<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Later that evening, the group reconvened to prepare for dinner service at the restaurant.<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>The chef took off his Michael Jackson costume and went back into the kitchen, and the quiet was replaced by chatter as guests arrived.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It was Caitlin Piper\u2019s first visit to Urban Tandoor, but she already recognized some faces among the staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019ve wanted to come here for two years,\u201d she said. The 20-year-old had brought her mother after seeing the TikTok videos, and praised the \u201crealness\u201d of the marketing strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cLike, they\u2019re not on time. They\u2019re not in tune. They know that,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just looks like best friends having fun.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Vivek Singh, on the other hand, has been visiting Urban Tandoor for seven years. The videos are amusing, he said, describing it as a \u201cvery pan Asian\u201d brand of humor. But ultimately, he was there for the food. \u201cThis is very authentic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As the restaurant\u2019s profile has surged, so has the pressure to keep the humor up online and in real life, which can be taxing, Mr. D\u2019Almeida said. Some brands have gotten in touch, and while Mr. D\u2019Almeida said he would eventually like to use the videos\u2019 success to enable donations to charity, he does not want to take on paid partnerships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">His priority now, he said, is ensuring that the restaurant experience lives up to its marketing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOur bread and butter is the restaurant,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody needs to find a niche, and we\u2019ve found ours.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/14\/world\/europe\/bristol-urban-tandoor-tiktok.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The tables were filling up at Urban Tandoor, a British curry house wholesome enough for a family meal and elegant enough for a low-key first date. Painted flowers twist up its entrance and lights adorn the colorful walls inside, a homage to Bristol\u2019s artistic reputation. The local haunt in southwest England promises an array of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/24\/multimedia\/00xp-urbantandoor-09-vtbp\/00xp-urbantandoor-09-vtbp-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1559,30910,66867,79,6584,2689,34190],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72857"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72857"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72859,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72857\/revisions\/72859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}