In an expansion binge, V.G.Siddhartha's Coffee Day Resorts opened more than 100 Café Coffee Day shops in past year; it now has 1,525 in India and 20 in Prague and Vienna. He plans to add 100 more by year-end, in part to stay ahead of Starbucks, which came to India in 2012 and now has 25 stores. It is also adding food items to its menu like tandoori chicken sandwiches. Born into a family of coffee planters, he dabbled in stock trading before opening his first cafe in 1996. Other interests include timber, real estate and a chain of resorts.