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How cafes are getting trendier in India
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Thursday, 16 February, 2023, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Sonia Agarwal
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India is now the world’s 10th fastest growing market for specialist coffee and tea retail chains.
Some 15-20 years ago, India was completely unaware of the ‘cafe culture’ which is primarily a way of life in the west. Today though, the scenario has changed drastically. In spite of India being a tea-drinking nation, it has accepted the cafe culture really well.
Over the years, cafes have become a perfect place to catch up with old friends or meet up for a date. Cafes have been a place of comfort for all, be it a large group of friends or someone who enters a cafe just to get away from life’s chaos for a while. However, the cafe culture has been experiencing a gradual evolution.
Well known cafe chains like Barista Coffee, Cafe Coffee Day, The Coffee Bean, Costa Coffee and not to forget the most known Starbucks, brought about this massive cafe culture to India. So much has the cafe culture in India transformed, that watching someone enter a cafe with a laptop and a bunch of files in hand and later be joined by a couple of more ‘suited’ professionals at the table, has become quite a normal visual. It’s the new ‘in thing’, rather a ‘new work culture’ India is adopting and adapting to, effortlessly.
The concept of 9-5 job has greatly transformed, specifically in the corporate world where employees are working from almost any location as per their convenience. The office working culture, a few years back, took a step forward when employers started recruiting and enabling employees to work from home. Now, as one more step forward, employees head to cafes to complete their work.
These individuals not just work alone in the cafe but also conduct meetings with other co-workers. Various important business deals are made in cafes, marketing and financial strategies are formed, start-up ideas are born, and work life is made much simpler.
Realising the development of this new work culture, a large number of cafes started offering their ‘working’ customers extra benefits. Cafes are now striving to provide such individuals a better and conducive working environment and work-friendly package deals. This deal usually includes a good variety of food options, coupon and vouchers, table bookings, and ofcourse wifi facilities. Further to this, many cafes have also built and designed a special working space inside the cafe just for working professionals. This designed space comes with attached whiteboards, projectors for presenting in front of a team, multiple charging ports, etc.
This working culture has proved to be very helpful in boosting an individual’s productivity. Sometimes, in order to be able to work with undivided focus is key to deliver efficient outcomes. Cafes help individuals achieve this. Be it a writer drafting an article, video editor editing a video, an analyst compiling data, freelancer photographer editing his pictures or manager working on his presentation, a cafe is the perfect place for driven individuals that enables them the facility and benefit work friendly environment.
Apart from this, cafes are now concentrating on the menu design and content. Hiring renowned chef, offering unique dishes, vegan and healthy options are some of the steps taken by cafes in India.
Taste of the dish, presentation, cutlery, plating everything plays a major role in designing menu of a café. Apart from dining culture online deliveries and takeaways have taken a great plunge and hence now branding and merchandise plays a major role while designing the delivery boxes.
Hence, now cafes aren’t just about grabbing a coffee; it’s a complete culinary experience in 2021.
(The author is a partner at Roll Me Crazy. She can be reached at rollmecrazymarketing@gmail.com)
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