What started as a single outlet off A.J.C. Bose Road is now a three-outlet cafe brand that’s cherised by coffee lovers. As 8th Day Cafe turned nine, t2 sat down with its founder Grant Walsh for a coffee-fuelled chat down memory lane.
What makes 8th Day a favourite go-to spot in Calcutta?
There are many cafes in Calcutta nowadays but what separates us from others are the values and people-focus we have. All decisions and daily interactions are done with the idea of “love” in mind. Our values are: love our products, love our communities, love each other. Love makes us a favourite!
Why the name 8th Day?
The idea behind 8th Day is that there are seven days in a week so 8th Day is your day. A day for yourself to feel special and unique — a day that takes you away from the challenges of life. When you step into one of our cafes, you should feel like you are being taken to another reality where all your cares and concerns can rest for a moment.
Do the other outlets receive the same amount of love as the first one?
All three of our outlets do very well in their own right, even though each has its unique vibe and feel. We are thankful that we have been well-received in each neighborhood we have opened in.
What is the USP of each of the outlets?
The Park Circus outlet is in a nice colonial building with amazing French windows, giving a warm and cosy vibe. This cafe is laid out for the optimal community feel.
The Hindustan Park outlet is vibrant and filled with energy with the patio seating overlooking Vivekananda Park. This cafe is electric. The Salt Lake outlet is our largest format with plush seating and big tables, perfect for the family or large group coming in or for getting some work done on your laptop. This cafe also has a conference-room space that customers can utilise.
What made you open 8th Day in the first place?
Many credit us with being the first specialty coffee place in Calcutta. When we opened in 2015, we felt like Calcutta was ready for a high-quality cafe experience. Fortunately, the city embraced us. We also wanted to give the city a more peaceful and transformative cafe ambiance experience. Finally, we wanted to introduce some American-centric menu items, like handcrafted bagels popularised by our menu. No one was doing these things at the time; it was simply a market opportunity.
What have been some of the most memorable moments for the brand?
Winning awards from the local community and from the media like t2 are always highlights. It proves what you are doing has caught on. For any brand, having regular customers is also a landmark and 8th Day has sort of a cult-like following. We are very humbled by this. For me, creating jobs and opportunities is a landmark. With each cafe we open, it means more opportunities. That is what keeps me alive.
What are some of your bestsellers?
For drinks, our cappuccino is our champion. We make so many of these. In cold coffee, the Handbrewed Iced Coffee is popular; it’s light and sweet. Our shakes are also very popular as we use loads of ice cream. For the bakery, our cinnamon roll and chocolate chunk cookies fly off the shelves. In food items, our most reputed offerings are the Grant Sandwich (hearty bagel sandwich), Hummus Wrap, and the newly-added Peri-Peri chicken with mash and Southern Avenue Sandwich.
Where do you source your coffee from?
We source all our coffee from Indian coffee farms (local) and only use 100 per cent Arabica beans (the highest-graded beans in the market). This is a big reason for being regarded as the top coffee place in the city. We have medium and dark roasts. Our current roasts have flavour notes in a wide range — vanilla with hints of caramel, rich and nutty, or chocolate and tamarind, among others.
Any plans for another outlet?
We will be opening the fourth cafe in the coming months in the wonderful locality of Jodhpur Park. This cafe will be our boldest splash yet — 3,100sqft with interactive- and community-focused concepts embedded in the vision and design. Keep a lookout for it in t2’s first look.
