Starbucks opens first drive-thru store in India

Coffee chain Starbucks has opened its first 'drive-thru' store in India on the Ambala-Chandigarh Expressway, the company announced.

“The opening of our first drive-thru store showcases our commitment to evolving our brand and business in India and providing new and meaningful experiences to our customers," Navin Gurnaney, CEO, Tata Starbucks, told Mint.

Gurnaney told the paper that the pandemic would 'set a new normal' and customers would take time to recover and return to usual routines, thus driving innovation.

The drive-thru outlets are popular in the United States as it allows customers to pick up orders from their vehicle. Most drive-thru stores offer the full menu and have seat-in facilities, Wi-Fi and merchandise counters as well. It has been introduced to India via the “Why wait for your brew, when you can drive-thru?" digital campaign.

Since restrictions were relaxed across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks resumed operations with 50 percent seating capacity and social distancing at select outlets in Delhi, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata. It restarted home delivery and take out services across stores in India.

The store will add to Tata Starbucks' 187 brand outlets across the country. Starbucks entered a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Consumer Products (then Tata Global Beverages) in 2012.

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Original Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/starbucks-opens-first-drive-thru-store-in-india-5531261.html