‘Indian Starbucks’ cafe chain Chaiiwala planning opening in Dundee city centre
A chain of tearooms dubbed the Indian equivalent of Starbucks is eyeing a Dundee location.
Chaiiwala is a South Asian restaurant chain based in Leicester that serves hot beverages and “desi” – or “traditional” – street food inspired by India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
It operates over 40 locations throughout the United Kingdom and opened its first Scottish location earlier this year at Glasgow’s Springfield Quay.
Dundee council planners have now approved plans to bring a tearoom to the city’s Reform Street.
It will take the place of the former Money Shop pawnbrokers adjacent to the newly opened Mazaj Arabic restaurant, completing Reform Street’s culinary crown.
According to agents representing the pair, Chaiiwala’s expansion into Dundee is part of the brand’s rapid growth. In October 2020, the brand announced plans to open approximately 50 outlets per year for the next three years, both in the UK and abroad.
“[Permitting this] would breathe new life into a unit that has been vacant for an extended period of time, and the addition of a vibrant new tearoom would boost the high street as we prepare to exit lockdown following the COVID pandemic.”
