Chaiiwala revs up its drive thru business
On the site of a former KFC and Costa just outside Blackburn in Mellorbrook and run by forecourt operator EG On The Move, the 100-seater venture is Chaiiwala’s largest UK store.
It follows the launch of the first Chaiiwala Drive Thru site earlier this year, which Chaiiwala says is the first drive thru business in the UK to offer Indian street food.
The new 2,000 sq ft restaurant has created 25 full time jobs for the local community with customers able to order via self-ordering kiosks, at the counter, online or at the Drive-Thru with Smart Digital Drive Thru menu boards.
The Mellorbrook Drive Thru store will operate Monday to Saturday from 6am to 11pm and a slightly later opening time on Sunday between 8am to 11pm.
“Mellorbrook Drive Thru is a great site and an excellent location and we are really excited and look forward to welcoming the local community and give them the Chaiiwala brand experience,” says Chaiiwala chief executive officer Chaiiwala Muhummed Ibrahim.
“We recognise the great brand equity we are building within the Chaiiwala network, and with the brand consideration and capital investment of strategic franchisee partners, we are excited for our iconic brand to grow stronger with each new opening.”
EG On The Move head of convenience and foodservice Junaid Manjra added: “The location provides a peaceful countryside retreat with convenient access to urban amenities and major transportation routes between Blackburn and Preston.”
“This Drive Thru marks a significant milestone for us as we continue to expand and bring our unique blend of traditional and contemporary chai culture and desi fusion food to more communities on the roadside.”
Established in 2015 in Leicester, Chaiiwala now operates 112 sites worldwide and offers ‘authentic Indian street food with a Western twist’.
Earlier this year, the group launched its first airport site as part of an expansion plan targeting major travel hubs.
