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Can Artists and Restaurants do Business Together? -Cashurcanvas

By Ameya Nisal on 24 Comments / 5006 views

Hi Rodinhooders!

This is my first post on Rodinhood and actually feeling some “small kid excitements” to share a business idea which I feel can be implemented. 🙂

The business plan called “Cash ur Canvas” aim is:

“Create a platform to deliver a bridge to display and sale of art and paintings on the walls of restaurants.”

So the main aim is to take charge of one wall in the restaurant and use it for displaying canvas paintings made by artists and take the opportunity to sell canvas paintings to visitors in restaurant.

The paintings will be selected as per-

  • Ambiance of the Hotel
  • Kind of audience (visitors) visiting the restaurant
  • Nature of the restaurant (Indian,Chinese, Thai, Coffee shop)

The business proposition is to become a bridge between artists and restaurants, and encashing a small percentage on the sale of canvas paintings.

I have tried to create a business plan using the template given by Mr.Alok Kejriwal. The numbers mentioned in the plan are through a very small research done by talking to some restaurants in Pune.

I look forward for all the +1 and -1 criticisms for the business proposition.

Thank you

Ameya Nisal

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24 Comments

  1. hi ameya,

    do you have a website up yet or even a fb page? if so, pls link them to your post so we all can check it out and give you some more feedback…

  2. Hi Ameya,

    Have you implemented the concept in any restaurant yet. Don’t think anyone will entertain your investment numbers until they have seen it working?

    Although it will be one hell of a task convincing restauranteurs, you could also consider sale of non-canvas items like statues etc. Also consider Hotel reception, lounge, gym areas.

  3. Hi Ameya,

    An interesting concept. My couple of thoughts would be – what is in it for the restaurants/why should they agree to have a wall free to put up canvases. There need to be very clear advantages for the restaurant in my mind for the business model to succeed.

    Also, there are some restaurants that actively promote the fact that they have an Art Corner – for e.g. Out of the Blue in Bandra has this similar concept to a certain degree except their paintings have been bought by them and they are trying to sell them v/s the fact that artists still own them. However, people don’t go to restaurants to buy art so how are you going to cope with that problem – no one is going to have for example an extra 9 – 15k to just splurge on a painting they saw at a restaurant. Most of the time, unless the wall is actively promoted most consumers would think that the art is not for sale as that is what we are conditioned to believe. 

    Hope this helps,

    Perz

  4. okay ameya… been wanting to put my thoughts down as well – adding to what perz has just said.

    this idea is not new. but i find it exciting. a) i’m a foodie. b) i love art c) i love going to restaurants that display interesting artisitc “stuff”

    1) i would suggest you choose the restaurant based on three things – the owner, the ambience, the customers

    – if the owner is an art lover as well – that would solve a lot of things. yes, he/she would still deserve a commission. but that would really boost your sales.

    – the place needs to be conducive to art. if it is already too busy – your art might get missed out or mistaken for the decor (i know, you’ll be adding for sale signs etc…!)

    – the customers (your potential customers) should fit your TA profile – CCD is more of a college haunt. college kids don’t want to buy art!

    2) i would also suggest you start small by choosing very affordable art. large price tags are an instant put off.

    3) be unpredictable. don’t have the same kind of style of art displayed every month. keep changing. regular customers love being surprised and will notice the change!

    all the best – will rattle off more when i can think of something else…

  5. Hi Ameya ,

    just wanted to say that if are planning something like this you can also consider focusing on kids centric stuff with pricing according to the gentry frequenting that perticular restaurant

    1- people come there at times in groups so mama and mausi and bua are there

    2-kids have a lot of time around 1+ hours to cry and convince their parents who want to enjoy a peaceful dinner

    3-relatives/friends are always willing to buy something for kids coz they miss them for not being around all the time

    (negative reason ) people might stop going to that restaurant

  6. Hi Asha, No, the website is in progress. Will put the

  7. Hi William,

    Yes. That’s a great suggestion.

    We have not implemented the concept in any restaurant.

    Presently we are trying to capitalize the ‘wall area’ which is mostly not utilized in restaurants. Also, the restaurants won’t mind sharing the wall space. Hence the focus is only on paintings.(hence the term ‘canvas’). The moment we go beyond canvas items, it will take the ‘table-space’ which is the most critical aspect in a restaurant which would be a hard-convincing factor.

    Your thoughts?

    (Hotel reception and Lounge is a nice suggestion. Thank you. 🙂 )

  8. Hi Ameya,

    Interesting concept provided that you can rope in sufficient restaurants.

    Try getting commitment from at least 2 restaurants and then do a trial run for a month or so to gauge response.

    Getting traction, sufficient volume and marketing the concept is your biggest challenge.

    The big question is are you selling paintings by big name artists or smaller unknown artists?

  9. Hi Ameya,

    For statues etc. you could have wall shelves. Check these out

    I would say go for your first restaurant even before you build any technology or spend money on the legal aspects of the business.

    Your idea is niche and it will work in niche restaurants (upscale ones) for sure.

    I also hope you are thinking about how to protect your painting etc. from dust, smoke, kids etc.

  10. Fully agree with Ratnakar

  11. Hi Ameya,

    The concept sounds amazing. Have you narrowed down the target audience? If yes, maybe you could do a trial run in one of the places frequented by them. Additionally, the pricing is going to play an important role in getting the paintings off the shelf but I’m sure you’ve considered that. 

    All the best to you!

    Cheers,
    Rohan

  12. Hi Perz,

    Yes, I agree the price point is a bit sensitive in business plan. The point is that the maximum benefit will reach out to restaurant owners and painters. “Cashurcanvas” would take a small percentage to bridge the gap and roll the paintings that are displayed.

    Having said that, surely the pricing and the paintings would differ as per the restaurant ambiance, visiting class of customers and art aspects which can impact the sale of the paintings.

    Surely your inputs are valuable and noted. Thank you for your inputs.

    🙂

    Ameya

  13. Hi Swapnil,

    That is an excellent point.

    We are presently focusing on art and canvas(paintings), but surel we can consider something to display, that my foster creativity and art(for kids) which can be put up for sale.

    Thanks a lot for your input.
     

    Ameya

  14. Yes.

    We are trying to get atleast 10 restaurants before we pitch for traction, so that numbers speak for themselves in the running of the business.

    Yes. We would disclose the artist name for the painting. That would be the selling point to attract the painters/artists to become our members for displaying their art. We are not  charging any membership fee for it, but behind every sale, the artist gets good percentage of the sale amount.

    Thank you for your inputs!

    Cheers

    Ameya

  15. +1 to it William

    🙂

  16. Hi Rohan,

    Thank you.

    Yes, as I mentioned. We are planning to get 10 restaurants as our clients before we pitch for traction. That would give us a good base.

    Pricing is a sensitive aspect which we are keep it slightly elastic as it can differ from restaurant to restaurant.

    We are in progress with our pricing model, but surely more and more inputs are most welcome.

    Thanks a lot for inputs and cheering!

    🙂

    Ameya

  17. Hi Asha,

    Simply amazing inputs!

    Yes, we are planning to go in an non-traditional way of go-to-market strategy, and seeding lots of surprises embedded in it.

    As I mentioned, we are keep price point flexible as per the restaurant patterns.

    Your point is completely valid. Owner, ambiance and customers will make/break the sale.

    If the owner is an artist, its the best scenario, else its our creative challenge to “paint” the picture.

    🙂

    Thanks a ton for your inputs!

    Cheers

    Ameya

  18. Hi William,

    Yes, if the owner is okay to put up a wall shelf, we would consider statues.

    yes, we are going to restaurants with a ppt before everything else. Point noted! 🙂

    Yes, we are planning to put up a acrylic(transparent) case around paintings, so that it is protected from dust/smoke.

    Thanks for suggestions and inputs!

    Ameya

  19. Hey Ameya,

    I think its a neat idea however you vision should be bring out the art and the artists in the public domain. It will require a great amount of education. If your focus is merely the people who appreciate and understand art, you are talking to a very niche audience. I feel art is just like music, it can be appreciated by a wide set of audience however you need to bridge that gap, make it more accessible.

    At my cafe in Bandra (bagelwala!), I try and promote my artist friends’. I have put up a couple of work by an artist – Shail Belani. I recently collaborated with BAP (Bollywood Art Project) run by a NID grad – Ranjit Dahiya and held a live painting session just outside my cafe. I clubbed that event with live screening of ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gadi’. The painting was of none other than Kishore Da. So i offered an experience and people appreciated that.

    So my suggestion is to go beyond your scope. It will take a lot of hardwork to make this idea a reality. All the best.

  20. Hi Ameya,

    I few thoughts on your concept.  

    • Restaurant owner’s will want to see if the art fits with the theme of their existing decor. The have spent a considerable amount of money in their interiors.

    • What happens if there is some damage to the art work while on display?

    • Will the paintings / work of art have some details mentioned about the artist, the theme, the materials etc.?

    • If you can get the restaurant management to place a tent card or a menu insert introducing the concept it may be advantageous.

    • A lot of casual dining restaurants do not have space on their walls available as they would rather “sell” it for sponsorships from cola companies or liquor companies so not sure if they will want “art” in its place.

    • Wont the art need some illumination to display it well? Who will bear the cost of the installation of the lights and electricity? Will the commission be worth it for the restaurant to consider placing an art work over their own food images (casual dining) or their theme based art / decor for fine dining restaurants.

    • Art for display and sale was done by a restaurant in Mumbai – under the over at Kemp’s corner in the early 90’s it did add to the ambience but I would think most of the artist were known to the owner.

    • Would auctioning the art be an option. When you got your bill at the restaurant, you could be given a choice to participate in the auction by placing your bid for a particular piece of art. The auction could run for a stipulated time and then the winning bidder announced. Of course some cautions need to be in place, so that the person bidding is indeed responsible to pay for it. The auction can be monitored on your website.

     Hope to have been helpful.

     Kaiz

  21. are you doing this part time ? or full time?

    where r u based and what are your target hotels or rest…..

    in Pune, one of most popular rest… malka spice and few others ar KP already have been doing it for few yrs.

    Malka spice is not so affordable hotel and people who go there dont care about prices and would spend good amount on Name of artist more then a paitning it self.

    I dont see any strong buisness Prepostions in getting a hit in mid level eateries and I didnt find anything great uniqueness and benefits for rest… owners.

    do some more probing and SIGNIFICANT, benefits and USP. be your devils advocate and prepare ur self with answers now.

    is your buis scalable, transformable or just a enterprise for living ?

  22. Hi Ameya lots of great suggestions here well the proof of a pudding is in …you know the rest..better test the concept…

    New York and Us is a different eg I have lived in there and people are so educated in art…there is art every where on NYC streets, building lobbys, sculpture, MOMA ,street artists, chalk painters on street, graffiti by famous artists..so vibrant city

    Indians are so price sensitive that you have to first do some check on Pricing…with artist you need to identify budding artist give them MG min guarantee and sell at higher price.

    Well if you put a ” digital screen and keep playing painting images and motion graphics of Cash ur canvas ” finally Buy online then that’s a New twist to your physical idea

  23. hey ameya…

    any updates? would love to know how ‘cash ur canvas’ is shaping up….

  24. My 2 bit

    • tieup with a bunch of artistes/painters who will offer their paintings for display/sale. for the same you need to have with you a Art Industry professional

    • If you can work with a high end chain of restaurants, convince them that this is win win for their brand, you might be in a interesting position

    • Insurance , Logistics, time frames, billing, taxes, even service tax may be issues

    • The best thing that you can do is a pilot project

    • & the 2nd best thing is do write a business plan based on the experience of your pilot project

    • You should look for funding only then

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