Starbucks opens First Drive-Thru in Punjab

Starbucks in India, a 50:50 Joint Venture with Tata Global Beverages called TATA STARBUCKS LTD,  operates outlets branded “Starbucks, has opened its outlet in Punjab.  With brands and developers putting their projects and expansion plans on hold during the Covid-19 crisis there are some who are unstoppable and focusing on Innovation to fight the battle with Covid-19. Such is the case with Starbucks and the Dhillon Group. In much-anticipated news for coffee lovers, Starbucks, the world’s leading coffee chain has opened doors to its First Drive-Thru Café in the country. The Drive-Thru store is located at Dhillon Plaza, Zirakpur, Punjab, a development owned by the Dhillon Group. Traditionally the drive-thru model has been very successful for fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King & KFC providing great incremental sales for these companies and at the same time providing convenience to the customers. This is especially true during the ongoing Covid-19 situation around the globe where there were restrictions put in place by governments barring customers to dine in, thereby making customers to take-away their orders. In such circumstances, Drive-Thru stores offer the customers the perfect setting by allowing them to take-away their order by sitting within the safety of their vehicle using the drive-thru lane.   Karan Dhillon, principal of the Dhillon Group and owner/developer of the project said that it has been a pleasure to have Starbucks, the world’s leading coffee chain at our development ‘Dhillon Plaza’ and offer to the customers India’s First Drive-Thru coffee experience. He stated that the Dhillon group has always believed in partnering with the best global brands and it has been a pleasure working with the Starbucks India team. “We have always believed in having an entrepreneurial spirit and capturing the First mover advantage such as setting up ‘Dhillon Fun Republic’ Chandigarh in 2003 which was North India’s First Integrated Shopping Mall/Multiplex or setting up Burger King’s First Drive-Thru in India back in 2016. The Starbucks Drive-thru project is truly special for us seeing the timing of its opening during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, which clearly shows the group’s commitment, dedication and focus towards completing and delivering their projects on time even in difficult periods” he mentioned. He feels the world will emerge stronger than before and that we need to keep fighting against Covid-19 through innovation. The Dhillon group owns an exceptional trophy portfolio of prime properties having International brands like McDonalds, Burger King, Dominos, Decathlon, Cinepolis Cinemas, INOX etc. and have setup Drive-Thru restaurants for some of these brands at their Shopping Malls/Multiplex developments. “We are excited to introduce Starbucks’ first drive-thru in India at Dhillon Plaza, Zirakpur, Chandigarh. It is a state-of-the-art facility with best in class design and state of the art features. We look forward to opening doors to this brand-new format store at Chandigarh for our customers to experience their favourite Starbucks coffee. We are delighted to partner with Karan Dhillon and his team to bring this innovation to India,” Tata Starbucks India CEO Mr. Navin Gurnaney said. “We are thankful to  Karan Dhillon, the Dhillon Group, and the teams in Chandigarh who partnered with us in launching Starbucks’ first drive-thru in India. Thank You, Karan, for being so supportive! I hope we are able to extend our association and create many more stunning landmarks together. The store is a classy multi-story format with dine-in on both floor and drive-thru pick up points on the outside. Customers can also stop for a quick break to enjoy their Starbucks favorites in the café, with two levels of in-store seating, free Wi-Fi, and Starbucks merchandise available for purchase,” Mr. Siddharth Agarwal, Head, Business Development, Tata Starbucks India mentioned.