What: Tata Starbucks
Where: 57A Park Street, Park Mansions
Timings: 7am to 1am (Park Mansions) and 10am to 11pm (South City and Acropolis)
Meal for two: Rs 600-plus
Opens: Today (all outlets)
Cover: 65
t2 caught up with Sumitro Ghosh, chief executive officer, Tata Starbucks, over an email chat after a walk-through of the Park Street outlet.
Congrats on bringing Starbucks to Calcutta! What took the brand so long to come here?
India is one of the most exciting markets in the world with a very diverse and dynamic culture, and we’ve taken a very disciplined and thoughtful approach with each store opening to execute a strategic expansion plan in India to ensure our long-term growth in the country.
Any reason why three outlets are opening on the same day? How many more outlets can we expect by the end of the year?
We routinely explore growth opportunities across all cities as well as listen to customer feedback and are excited to bring the unique Starbucks Experience to Calcutta. We carefully choose each location on its merit and aim to offer convenient locations for our customers wherever they wish to enjoy the Starbucks Experience. We are very excited about the opportunities that this city presents and we are thrilled to open doors of three stores in the city on March 21.
What does Starbucks mean to you?
It is the exploration of coffee served with the incredible strength of our partners in the warm environment of our stores.
And which are your top three fave sip and bite from the menu?
India Estates Blend — Brewed Coffee, Flat White (picture above) and Vanilla Cruffin.
T2’S FAVE CORNER
MERCHANDISE
POP PICKS
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MUST-HAVE
CALCUTTA CONNECT
TEA TOO
Starbucks India only has coffee. False. There’s a separate tea menu that has hot, cold and frozen sips. Hand-picked and whole tea leaves are used which are blended with natural flavours. If you like your tea hot, we recommend India Spice Majesty Blend (picture right) that has spice notes, thanks to the whole cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cardamom, cloves and pepper! It is served in a full pot and can be enjoyed with milk or without. Also, try the organic Hathikuli brew (malty sweetness and a creamy body), Green Tea Latte, Youthberry, and Black Tea with Ruby Grapefruit & Honey.
FUN FACTS
The first Starbucks opened in Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1971. The chain was founded by Gordon Bowker, Zev Siegl and Jerry Baldwin. But Howard Schultz is the main man behind the growth and popularity of the brand.
The name ‘Starbucks’ is inspired by Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick. Initially the name of the brand was supposed to be Pequod but it was finally named Starbucks after the chief mate in the book.
The logo of Starbucks is that of a twin-tailed mermaid with flowy hair, called the Siren.
The first Starbucks India outlet opened in 2012 in Mumbai. Now the brand is spread across six other cities — Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Calcutta.
There are a total of 113 outlets in India (including Calcutta).
The employees are referred to as “partners” because “they are the heart of what we do”.
Artwork plays a vital part in all Starbucks outlets. The Park Street outlet has a giant tapestry of the Starbucks mascot but is done with Indian silks, embroidery and other textile techniques.
Text: Pramita Ghosh. Pictures: Rashbehari Das
