Why go through all the effort to steal customers when you could opt for another location and tap a new market? The owners of two popular burger spots in Chandni Chowk, both of which claim to be the real Mamoo Burger have a different view. “Next door businesses do more than increase chances of a sale, they increase foot traffic. People can compare shop and check out a number of similar products,” say the owners.
Could the advertising tactics be to dupe the public? Perhaps, they even discuss trade secrets and swap jokes about customers’ ignorance. Located side-by-side at Chandni Chowk wagon stop, Asli (real) Mamoo Burger and Mamoo Burger Point battle it out with advertising claims. A large banner at Asli Mamoo Burger reads, “Anybody disproving our claim will be given a reward of Rs5 lakhs,” while the banner displayed by Mamoo Burger Point states: “You can confirm the veracity of our claim from the market.”
Despite their claims, the burgers taste remarkably similar. An impromptu consumer survey yielded some interesting insights. “This way they invite customers to discover the goodies they have,” said Dr Farrukh, a regular customer. The shami kebab, the golden egg, the oozing butter and all the crunchy vegetables that come along with sauce are all the same otherwise.
According to Dr Farrukh, “Both burgers are so good that it actually is a tough job to determine which one’s better. Till then, they should keep treating customers with free burgers to help them decide,” joked Jamal Hussain, a chemist.
Ali Ahmed, a trader, has his own pet theory: “If you need to promote your burger, why not create something different? I’m no fortune-teller, but my guess is the banners displayed at both shops are a ploy to lure customers and they are owned by the same guy,” he said. “The banners trigger curiosity in passersby and make them want to taste the burger to find out for themselves,” added Salman Aqeel, a property dealer.
One of the owners summed it up best: “Advertisements are created to generate consumer interest and to increase consumption.” Although not everyone buys the message transmitted through these banners, people do get intrigued by them, he said. “For businesses, this translates into sales in the longer run.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2012.
COMMENTS (20)
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McDonald or KFC have been around for years, and I still don't know exactly what they're like. I’m not the kind of person who is ever going to visit them. Mass production meals I dislike like Shafqat. I suspect marketing activity here – a sequence of advertising.
Indeed, nowadays you can get a decent lunch for the burger price or less --generally much nicer surroundings and it won't make you feel awful / clog your arteries half as much.It's not surprising at all that the rise of fast food has corresponded with the supersizing of our adults into obesity.
I will never understand the desire to eat at Mamoo, McDonald or KFC. I wouldn't contradict if one begins to discuss the toxicity of mass produced meals. The stuff they must put in there to preserve food for longer frightens me.
There is as much room in Pindi for all burgers -- named Tom or Harry -- as there is room for more meal in the stomach. I'll probably find myself ordering in about an hour.
All the city's burger makers share a powerful bond over the knowledge that they thrive in a business that depends on most of us being incapable of spending five minutes in the kitchen to make our own burgers.
Still, perhaps, M. Aswad Mehtab, Yo!!, and Rafique Ahmad has a point. If your burger shop is going to have stupid names for its burgers i.e. Mamoo why not think of stupid names that are 180 degrees different from the place across the street's stupid names like KFC and others?
It's true -- the similarities between the goodies of two Mamoo Burgers are downright identical. For example, the Mamoo Burger Point has shami kebab, the golden egg, the oozing butter and all the crunchy vegetables that come along with sauce and tomatoes ... and so does the other Mamoo Burger ... and so does, right, every other burger ever made.
Pindiites love good burgers and their passion is their pleasure. The Mamoo Burger has been there for quite a long time now. Long before McDonalds, KFC international fast food chains raided the market. Its interior is more like a restaurant than fast-foodish. In the night, they have a table outdoor terrace area looking out over entire surrounding. Although Mamoo Burger outlet has not been able to fend them off, but despite nearby KFC it has gained ground,
I once ate the Mamoo Burger with my cousin who lives across Chandni Chowk. Contrary to the Burgers usually sold at stalls, eating overstuffed Mamoo Burger with Pepsi in a cafe-style setting is not a bad idea.
McDonald's M & Mamoo's M are quite different. Mamoo has additional gender. It's M is for Mamaani. So it is Mamoo Mamaani Burger.
The real Mamoo Burger Point long time ago stood in front of West End Food Bakers and Sweets. Some body told me the owner of the bakery owned the Mamoo Burger Point as well. Their business flourished to that extent that they rented the next door building which once housed a Chinese Restaurant. Now they have another outlet at Sir Syed Chowk and many other sites. Well done Mamoo, you know the secrets of doing business.
they got the publicity they wanted - Mission Accomplished!
We used to visit them often. Loved that thing, but to watch them make the burger was quite an experience too :P
Both taste same! I always opt on the spot, for the one with less customers awaiting :)
I like reading light, bright subjects. Very interesting story. Living near Chandni Chowk I was first attracted by the banners and wanted to know the real story. "Real Mamoo" gets really angry -- at least he shows himself that way -- when someone asks him if he is playing the double game. "Asli mamoo burger mein hun, kisi se pooch lein".
Nobody is going to stand up as they are two faces of the same coin.
love the quality of reporting at ET, bravo
Mamooo " Chehryy sy pehchanye
People want Burger , Not Mamoo :P ..
Fries in Mc Donalds cover... Good Mamoo :)