We’ve released an article where TIMELESS brand chefs and Operations Director Vladimir Snegirev are talking about the behind-the-scenes of product developments over the past six years and the new menu. The conversations reveal TIMELESS’s creative process, experimentation with new trends, from haute couture hookahs to vibrant cocktail presentations, and the evolution of our menu.

We shared the secrets of our successful menu, talked about failed experiments, and what’s behind the most expensive hookah for 100,000 rubles, which went viral on social networks.

Hi, I’m Vladimir Snegirev, the COO of TIMELESS. Today, I’m going to be talking about product developments with the product team. My colleagues Timofei Shepilo, the hookah brand chef, and Ioann Mikhailenko, the bar brand chef, will be joining me.

We’ve done 4 large-scale menu updates and 10 seasonal drops together. In this piece, we want to honestly talk about approaches and principles, trends and changes, experiments and failures in creating new items.

4 principles of a successful menu

Menus are created according to a few basic rules: our items must meet the public’s needs, be cost-effective, get to the heart of the company’s ideology, and be easy to scale. These principles have guided the company for six years, so we’re always confident in the result. 

Updating the menu in our lounge bars is something we make sure to do every year. In fall, we change about 60% of the menu, and in winter, spring, and summer, we launch special offers: signature hookahs, cocktails, soft drinks, and snacks. These seasonal specialties can be experimental, like a menu invented by a neural network, or they can be inspired by classic associations with the seasons or be conceptual, like the latest summer menu with references to haute couture.

At TIMELESS, we set the standard for premium establishments, where guests expect nothing less than the highest quality in every aspect. Our menu is meticulously crafted to offer a selection of exquisite hookahs and a full bar, ensuring that every taste is catered to, without expanding it to an extent that would resemble Aunt Marge from Harry Potter.

Practical Part

There are a few tools that help us decide whether to add, change, or take a product off the menu. They’re based on numbers, experience, and trends.

Current and Prior Menu Analysis

We’re doing an ABC/XYZ analysis and collecting repeat sales stats. We’re also looking at weekly and monthly sales reports, including margin and cost analysis.

Unlike trend tracking in digital, the challenge is that we’re not 100% accurate on many of the metrics. We can’t know how long a guest looked over the menu, which sections they spent more time in, how their choices were shaped, and so on.

For instance, high sales may be attributed to waiters' proactive recommendations, while low sales might not necessarily indicate failure, particularly if the product aligns with the specific needs of a target audience.

Guest Feedback

The most important thing in collecting feedback is to systematize the data and not ignore it. Guests regularly hint at what they’re missing. “Do you have a sour cocktail on the menu?” “Do you have a bottle of white Spanish wine?” — These requests push us to make decisions, but that’s not enough. That’s why we actively monitor feedback at the start of sales. Managers collect live feedback into a single table after a table visit, and we also send guests a text message after they visit asking them to evaluate the visit.We look at positive and negative reviews closely, breaking down which part of the product caused dissatisfaction.

Experience and Audience Insight

Some items stick around, even if they’re not top sellers, to meet the needs of specific groups. By adding a strong cocktail with fermented lemon bitter liqueur, Allure, to our menu, we know it won’t be a huge hit. But this drink will definitely appeal to customers who aren’t into berry spritzes and fruity sours.

Awareness and Trends

The product team regularly attends training and exhibitions, and we read professional literature too. We follow the market, and in every update, we try to take trends into account, both at the conceptual and technological level. This helps us avoid putting “Blue Lagoon” or other outdated cocktails on the menu.

Product Evolution

The way we make our menu has changed a lot over time. Up until five years ago, the recipe for our signature hookahs was all about the stuff inside the base. But then it got a bit boring, so we’ve started focusing more on how a hookah looks, the story behind it, and its shape. We’ve started using new materials, textures, and technologies.

We’re always coming up with new ideas for hookahs and ways to serve them. Last spring, we had a hookah shaped like a jar of antidepressants and another one that looked like a box of live tulips. In the summer, we took a course on high fashion and stylized one position under the package of baking soda from Balenciaga and another under the uniform of the New York City Department of Sanitary Control from Heron Preston. The new menu has hookahs shaped like a retro TV set, Louis Vuitton handbags, and juicers.

When creating branded items, we are guided by the following rules:

- Signature hookahs are a product that we can proudly claim as our own. The idea must be original.
- The less a hookah resembles its usual form, the more intrigue it inspires.
- The taste and aroma of the composition in a bowl should reflect the appearance of the hookah. Otherwise, there will be a strong dissonance.
- A hookah’s presentation, storytelling, and interactivity are as crucial as its appearance and composition.

The realization of any concept requires technical expertise, and we do not skimp on the performers of our ideas but find the best among professionals. The final result depends on it. Everyone knows the meme: “Expectation-reality,” right?

We’ve run into a lot of cases of plagiarism and idea theft. These examples show how the quality of work affects the final product.

The Evolution of the Cocktail List

The cocktail list has also changed over time. In the past, the focus was on flavor and basic mixes. Now, it’s all about creative visuals and on-trend recipes. In 2022, minimalist drinks were all the rage, so transparent cocktails in pastel colors made their debut on the summer menu.

Trends have changed, but we’ve spotted two new favorites: textured cocktails and brightly colored serves. So, we’ve added Sake Sour and Green Sgroppino to the menu, both made with homemade sorbets. They give cocktails an incredible texture, richness, and density.

The idea of bright pitches was also used in other positions, like the H.E.A.R.T. — a tiki cocktail, which is made with rum, Falernum, white wine, pineapple liqueur, and coconut-pineapple sorbet. It’s served in an anatomical heart-shaped glass with flowers growing out of the arteries. This is one of the three cocktails from the Creative Collection, a special section of the cocktail list with incredibly spectacular serves. On the winter menu, we’ve continued the trend with a cocktail featuring a Christmas garland frozen in ice and another with a lit candle.

Since 2021, Cherry Pie has been the only legendary drink on the menu, although we’ve been updating its recipe on the regular.

The first version of the cocktail was gin with cinnamon and cherries, egg yolk liqueur, and berry cordial.

Now, it’s a complex, textural drink of lemon custard, cinnamon and chili pepper whiskey, homemade cherry Heresy, and cherry brandy. It’s served with homemade meringue.

Shots are another interesting case of transformation. Last year, we first added them to the menu. They were complex and tasty, but they didn’t have a strong alcoholic flavor, and that was a big mistake. The shots didn’t sell well. We didn’t consider that when ordering shots, the customer expects a strong drink. This year, the team has made some corrections to the recipes and added an interesting presentation in the form of “elixirs” in medical ampoules.

We’re also giving the other sections of the menu a makeover and adding new categories to meet customer requests. For example, we’re currently working on expanding our non-alcoholic beverages. The new menu will also feature a variety of hot appetizers.

Aesthetics matter

Making a truly creative piece takes time and effort. If you want it to be visually appealing and not just passable, you have to come up with a whole new pitch. That means making layouts, looking for references, ordering custom designs, and working with different experts.

Stone Island

Take the Stone Island cocktail, for example. The drink is quite complex but also refreshing and delicious. The bar’s brand chef ranked it at the top of his personal list. It combines sweet and sour, bitter and salty flavors, with interesting notes of fig leaves and coconut. What makes Stone Island special is not only its flavor but also the presentation.

We got in touch with the guys and asked them to come up with a design based on our idea. They got to work right away, getting the moss ready, splitting the stones, and using glass cases of different sizes to put together the florariums.

Experiments with Materials and Shapes

We seem to have used every possible material, from textiles, as in STI’L, to metal and glass in the “Fireplace” hookah. We’ve experimented with different types of wood, ceramics, paper, epoxy (spoiler: we are preparing something new), plastic, and even stones.

In the latest update, we’ve tried 3D modeling to create a Valentino hookah. We gave its body the shape of a perfume bottle—a cube covered in a bunch of pyramidal patterns. It looks easy, but making that kind of surface is actually pretty hard. So, we’ve made a 3D model for a CNC milling machine to engrave the shapes we wanted. The cap that hides the bowl is made from a single piece of aluminum.

A Bear for a 100K 
- Hype or + Vibe?

We had a longstanding request for a really expensive position. So 2 months before the large-scale update, we set another goal: to make a hookah for 100,000 rubles. We decided to work out the concept of a huge golden Bearbrick bear with a bat hookah in its hand.

Another perk of amazing visuals is viral content. If there are items on the menu that social networks are going crazy over, there’s a good chance they’ll become popular even without big investments in advertising. That’s exactly what happened after the launch of the hookah for 100,000 ₽, which went viral on Telegram. We were surprised because the million-dollar channels had done everything themselves.

People had different opinions about the Golden Guard. Some people took the moral tuner position, while other web users praised its effectiveness in terms of PR and creativity. For us, the huge golden bear is not just a response to the audience’s request, but also a satire on the modern system of values: the desire to get something expensive for the sake of hype. At the same time, the hookah has a completely basic mix oriented to the general consumer—Pinkman and pineapple rings.

Tastings

Each product that wants to be on the menu has to go through a bunch of approvals, and the tasting is where the team that’ll make the final decisions gets together. This includes everyone from the operations director to the venue managers, who are responsible for sales.

Here, we talk about things honestly and don’t sugarcoat anything. If the idea is a bit rough or the position is just okay, we go back to development. This process continues until there’s a unanimous “yes” at the tasting.

Recommendations from Brand Chefs

The current menu has turned out bright and memorable, so to finish off this article, we asked our brand chefs to list their personal top picks.

Top hookahs by Timofei Shepilo:

Kinescope: a hookah that is styled as a retro TV, complete with a touchscreen tablet and JBL sound. It’s perfect for setting the mood on a night out. Whether you’re into nostalgic videos from the noughties or the latest music releases, this hookah is sure to grab your attention.

Garnet: It’s the perfect everyday blend, with a touch of natural flavors. It’s visually stylish, with a retro-futuristic flair.

Valentino: This hookah is intense and has hints of tea and citrus, like the perfume it’s named after. Its presentation is eye-catching and captivating.

Top Cocktails by Ioann Mikhailenko:

Stone Island: A complex, multifaceted cocktail where every sip is a new story. It’s worth a try to understand its magic.

Green Sgroppino: A sour-sweet, refreshing drink based on freshly squeezed apple juice with a sparkling wine and olive aftertaste.

Sake Sour: This drink is bright and Asian-inspired, with a mix of pineapple sorbet, hints of rice wine, and a touch of lime. It’s a real winner for anyone who loves fresh flavors.

H.E.A.R.T.: A big Pina Colada in a tiki cocktail format, rich and textural, with a bright aftertaste and a good portion of alcohol.

Sesame: A fresh, sophisticated, spicy cocktail featuring sweet watermelon combined with the slight sting of ginger, sesame oil notes, and cherry pit almond flavor.

Lust Cherry: The very same cocktail in a bottle of Tom Ford perfume. It’s uniquely positioned with references to the original perfume and features cherry vodka, amaretto, lime, rose water, and Palo Santo clavis.

Are you ready to discover something new? Welcome to TIMELESS, a place where taste becomes art!