In the city of the Irani chai, here are a few opinions about being at Starbucks
All in line: The queue outside the coffee outlet on Saturday
Hyderabad: For many, the long weekend has come to mean short trips with friends, some family time and perhaps just sitting around, doing nothing. But many Hyderabadis are also spending their holiday waiting in lines outside the newly-opened Starbucks at Jubilee Hills.
Like two sides of the same coin, this latest fad is also divided into two teams Starbucks vs. Sitarabhakks. On one side you have people going gung-ho about this “star” attraction while on the other, there are those running from what they feel is ruining the city’s culinary culture.
Satpreet Kaur, a working professional who waited in line for nearly half-an-hour, admits she had no problems. “It wasn’t a big deal because the staff kept serving us complimentary cups of coffee. Moreover, the service was quick and once inside, they didn’t shoo us away or ask us to hurry up even though many were waiting outside,” she says.
Mala, another professional from the city, went to the outlet on Wednesday, the day it opened. “I had my friend waiting in line for me. When I reached, I had my coffee with my name written on it waiting for me,” she laughs. “She might have stood in line for 15-20 minutes and there were more than 30 people in the queue,” she says.
But Satpreet admits that the rush of people waiting to get in was overwhelming and for the ones seated inside, at times it felt like they were inside a zoo. “The crowd outside would keep staring at us and would take photos, so it did feel a little creepy. On the whole though, it was okay.”
Not everyone, however, is thrilled. In fact, many are fed up with people inundating their Facebook Walls with photos from the outlet. “Let’s not forget you are standing in a huge line just for a coffee; it’s not Disneyland,” said Rahool Saxena, a city-based biker.
“The area near the outlet has become more congested. As a rider I used to love riding around those roads, but not any more,” he adds. He put up a post on FB, “Someone asked me, ‘When are you planning to go to Starbucks?’ I said, the day Irani chai gets wiped out of Hyderabad! Irani chai will never become extinct and I’ll never go to Starbucks.
Why? Who gives a heck (sic) to some cranky multinational brand debuting in the land of Irani chai! Hope this post is loud and clear to people who are tagging me in their photos clicked at ‘Sitarabhakks’ lol.”
“After I put up this post, I was surprised to come across many people who shared similar views. My friends are insisting that I check out the place, but I am not at all interested,” adds Rahool.
Starbucks vs. Sitarabhakks while many are ready to queue up, it’s still early days to predict who will prevail in the long run.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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