If you are a coffee lover and want to taste different flavours of coffee, then a visit to Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee chain is a must as it has expanded its menu to add masala chai and filter coffee.
The chain is revamping its menu in the country to make it more friendly, likeable and affordable for the Indian consumers.
Apart from the chai and filter coffee, Starbucks menu now also features street-style freshly assembled sandwiches, milkshakes, bite-sized snacks and a smaller beverage cup. This is initially being tested in four markets – Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Bhopal and Indore.
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“The introduction of these things is to take it to the next level. We think this will help us to get new consumers to our fold. The trigger is to create new occasions for current consumers and also get a larger expanse of consumers to come in,” Sushant Dash, CEO of Tata Starbucks, a joint venture that operates Starbucks in India, told Economic Times.
And if you think Starbucks is the first global eatery to bring about this change, then a look at the menus of other restaurant chains like McDonald’s and Domino’s could prove you wrong. American fast food chain McDonald’s has been selling McAloo Tikki while pizza maker Domino’s has since long been offering paneer makhani and chicken tikka pizza.
So, what really triggered Starbucks to include Indianised items on its menu? Affordability and demand for local and small-sized options, said the company.
“Some of the food items that we are launching as the starting point in a Starbucks become more affordable and attract a larger segment of consumers. The idea is to also learn, see the consumer acceptance across markets, see the nuances, check and adjust and then see where it goes,” Dash said.
In India, Starbucks’ main competitors include Cafe Coffee Day and McCafe, which offer beverages at significantly lower prices. The American firms, which entered the Indian market in October 2012, move also comes close on the heels of two global rivals – Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons and British sandwich and coffee chain Pret a Manger –announcing their plans to enter India this year.
