9 best SOCIAL and why they’re winning the theme restaurant game

“Good design doesn’t cost, but it pays” as Richard Driehaus, the famous American Businessman states it, that good design is the trump card which not many possess. It only plays to your advantage, and well, money is never a bad thing. The Social chain of restaurants is one apt example of how recycling and out-of-the-box thinking gives you an extra edge over your competitors, also making you an audience favorite. Here’s the success story of how Social, pushed the theme restaurant bracket up the ante, while keeping their fundamental lining intact, yet creating a different character for each of their outlets.

Versova Social, Mumbai

The newest entrant in the social family opened in Versova and it is designed to look like a Victorian greenhouse. A 3 storey outlet with a garden terrace to just kick back, gaze the sky and ponder life. The split levels, as well as the courtyards at multiple levels, create nooks and crannies, designed for different moods and varied experiences.

Nehru Place Social, Delhi

Contemporary quirk with an urban-desi touch and a mix of interesting foods and drink, Epicuria Social should be your next go-to spot. Hanging chairs and tables illuminate the indoor area and the DJ has a classic Delhi ‘band waalah’ banner in front of him. The outdoor area has a row of old concrete benches that ‘are in loving memory of’ pop culture elements like the walkman and MS DOS.

Odeon Social, Delhi

Social believes in minimum intervention and maximum up-cycling, and this one is all about the glory days.You’ll find elements sourced from schools and offices in and around Connaught Place that resonate with the neighbourhood’s history and also brings back some soul to the vicinity. In true quirk tradition, the kitchen’s called the Home Science Lab and there’s a Principal’s Room for naughty kids, while a school bell is what you can ring on your way out if you had a good time. The tables are from staff rooms with old rickety wooden chairs, an antique typewriter and a vintage phone. While the walls are lined with trophies, bookcases and a bar straight out of a chemistry lab, you’ll spot a skeleton hanging around casually.

Fun Republic Social, Mumbai

Most restaurants run the risk of being just another chain, Social is far from being a stereotype. Located in the same lane as two of the biggest film/TV production houses, it only seemed fair it paid tribute to the entertainment industry. You’ll be welcomed by floral fabric wallpapers, a curtained stage and an assortment of oddities sourced painfully from antique markets of the city. Even the bar is designed to hark back to a time when kitsch ruled Bollywood. The kitsch theme continues with mirrors on the ceiling in one area and wallpapers in another. It is like no other Social and stays true to its Social design philosophy. Visit it to believe it!

Koramangala Social, Bangalore

Social has taken an ecologically responsible approach for its outlet in Koramangala. They have gone green and the air conditioning has been kept minimal. It is the canopy of plants within the premises that keeps the space cool. Spread out over two levels, the glass ceiling allows the greens to get some sun and also provides natural lighting during the day and scope for star-gazing at night. All the furniture here is up-cycled so we see vintage princess chairs, discarded office chairs with wheels, the woven chairs from the 90s and rocking chairs turned couches spread out aesthetically.

Cyber Hub Social, Gurugram

 

Conceptually, this Social uses the mindset of a localite with behavioural references from chawls of Mumbai, creating and producing an everyday comforting and interactive space. Chawls were first created to house as many mill workers in one building – a space that was efficient and functional. In the same way, Social has evolved into a space that symbolises community living – a place that stands for unity, togetherness, security, camaraderie, cultural essence and ethos – minus all of the pretences of modern day life. Seceding from the rigid design theory in metropolitans, it creates spaces with varying scales ranging from a 2 tier local train seating to a courtyard setting and private chawl rooms with beds. This Social might just be the humblest of all!

Defence Colony Social, Delhi

The Defence Colony version of the Social franchise continues the downtown industrial chic vibe of its predecessors. Insouciant hashtags and cutesy fittings drop off the walls and pool around perfectly distressed furniture. Too damn cute by half, Social takes its target demographic of 18-24 very seriously. Like other Social’s across the country, this one too will give entrepreneurs room to let their creative energies take flight, especially if you take inspiration from the walls that see some amazing original wall art.

Khar Social, Mumbai

Often called the AntiSocial, they have done a grunge look for the Social at Khar. Looks like a grimy car workshop or even a shanty from outside. Not the sort of place you would want to go in unless you knew what lay inside. They have a warehouse like feel inside and have recycled a lot of second hand furniture sourced from junk sellers. However, the place is big, two storied and clean. The grunge, reverse snobbery look, is just in the external form as the actual feel and experience is quite comfortable.

Capital Social, BKC, Mumbai

With Capital, they have created a communist vibe using a brutalist, raw, simple and functional design. There can be three kinds of government — social, communist and capitalist — and they decided to depict all three. The space is a throwback into the Cold War era. For the first time, a restaurant has seen detachable community tables fitted on tracks, so they can be moved and joined to accommodate large and small groups. Nothing has missed the eye of the perfectionist interior designer – they have paid attention to the minutest of details such as propaganda banners on the walls, and oh, a TV that plays clips of soldiers marching on loop! The red decor, ancient typewriters and telephone instruments just seem like a cherry on the top. Soft music is probably a sub-conscious by product of a startup environment during the day, but it lends the place a touch of sophistication.

The list of SOCIAL is endless and with every new outlet they are only outdoing themselves, comment in the section below and let us know which one is your favourite SOCIAL.