Chatting over Chai

Chatting over Chai

It was a rather bright Monday morning when I made my way to the launch of Chaayos, a new-age tea café and it was the décor that caught my eye immediately. Spread over 2,200 square feet, this two level space has interesting nooks and corners with varied seating that makes it a contemporary chai adda or tea room.  Located on the plush 12th Main in Indiranagar in Bengaluru, this is the first South India store of Chaayos that has a presence of 65 outlets across six cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Chandigarh).

UNLIMITED FLAVOURS
In 2012, two IIT graduates, Nitin Saluja and Raghav Verma, both self-confessed ‘designated chai-makers’ of their families, decided to start Chaayos. Saluja, co-founder and CEO, handles product R&D and has also designed most of the chai menu, and Verma, co-founder, loves to innovate on many of the food menu offerings at Chaayos. 

Saluja explains, “Our core agenda beyond starting Chaayos was that while India is a hardcore tea drinking nation (statistics indicate that Indians drink 30 cups of tea to one cup of coffee) there was no good place to enjoy tea as a good cup of tea is usually what you have at home or at a roadside tea stall. Talking to our early customers, we received feedback that there was no one clear definition of a good cup of tea. The tea you like is your best cup. This is why we decided to give our customers their cup of tea which is our value proposition. Our guests can order for their cup of tea and we offer about 80,000 combinations of tea. Our unique selling proposition is to make the cup of tea that the customer wants and provide a consistent cup of customised tea each and every time.” 

This is why ‘meri wali chai’ sits at the centre of Chaayos. The combinations come from the choice of teas — Desi Chai/ Black Tea/ Green Tea; milk — Regular/ Doodh Kum/ Pani Kum/ Full Doodh; Patti — Regular/ Kadak, free add-ons — Tulsi/ Adrak/ Elaichai/ Saunf/ Laung/ Ajwain/ Cinnamon/ Masala/ Mint/ Hari Mirchi/ Moti Elaichi/ Kali Mirch/ Lemon and paid add-ons — Kesar/ Honey. This apart there are many special teas that you can try like the Aam Papad Chai, Hari Mirch Chai, Shahi Chai, Thandi Chai and more. It helps that no two cafes look alike and a great looking cafe will ensure that a guest is never bored.

TEA TECHNOLOGY
Raghav says, “If there is a cup of tea that you enjoy at home, you can enjoy the same flavour at Chaayos. Our food menu has also been well thought out and we offer items that make for a good accompaniment to the tea at different times of the day. This is why you have some interesting options like the best seller Maggi Sandwich and Palak Patta Crispies.” It helps that the company has a tech stack that delivers a magical experience for customers. “We have a facial recognition system that recognises your face in four seconds and gives you your perfect cup of tea based on your previous order. There is also a Chaayos wallet and dine in app that allows customers to place orders in advance.” 

They also have IoT powered chai bots called Chai Monk that helps brew a fresh cup of Chai personalised to the guest’s specifications and ensures consistency across all cafes. Chaayos is backed by Tiger Global Management, SAIF Partners and Integrated Capital, and plans to have 15 stores by March 2020 in Bengaluru and about 100 stores across the country soon. The idea also is to expand in cities with high density so that there are more reasons and options for people to visit Chaayos. So are you ready to have some heavenly sips?

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