New Delhi: Eight years after entering India,
Starbucks Coffee Co. is rolling out its first drive-through outlet in India on Friday. As part of its post-Covid-19 strategy, the Tata
Starbucks joint venture plans to open about a dozen drive-through outlets in India in a year, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans.
“As we ride out of this crisis on our way back to normality, the value of social distancing and hygiene are going to see an increasing importance in our lives,” said Navin Gurnaney, CEO of Tata Starbucks, a 50:50 JV between
the Tata Group and the US beverage giant. “The new store fits perfectly with our norms of social distancing and encourages people to engage with the Starbucks brand in a safe way.”
As consumers stay away from eating out amid fears of spiralling
coronavirus cases in India, quick-service-restaurants such as McDonald’s,
KFC and
Burger King are ramping up and scouting for drive-through locations in the country, industry officials said.
India currently has only about 100 drive-through points, even decades after the fast-food concept took root in the country. Industry executives said that is going to change, propelled mainly by the pandemic, with the number of such outlets set to double to more than 200 in a year. Companies are even trying to convert various existing restaurants into drive-through outlets. The McDonald’s franchisee for north and east India operates 29 drive-through restaurants, now with physical barriers at the drive-through windows and contactless experience.