That Vizagites love their morning cuppa is not new. What's new though, is the way coffee is being enjoyed. From the days of slurping 'kaafi' at a road-side tiffin centre, to sipping on tall glasses of cold coffee in plush cafes, Vizag has seen a huge transformation in the way its cuppa is perceived over the years. The colourful commotion that surround the exercise of serving coffee at a tiffin centre, is today replaced by a lounge-like relaxed ambiance amidst which your coffee is served. It all started with Vizag's all time favourite — Pastry, Coffee 'n' conversation — which has been ruling the roost for a decade now. It was soon followed by Coffee Day at Vizag Central and Poorna market road. And now there's a coffee shop on every cool street — CCD Lounge in the Waltair Uplands, Coffee Wave, Lavazza, Yallop Gourmet and Barista, and more, at swish spots like Siripuram and Beach road.
The beginning
With big cafe chains opening shop in the city, Vizagites have much to rejoice about. Rajen Chauhan, owner of PCC, who began his stand alone coffee shop in 2002, says, "when we started this hub back in 2002, we were the only ones around. I was inspired by my wife, Abha, who I think, is the best cook ever! We've been living in Vizag for the past 30 years and with the help of a few friends, we started a small pastry outlet at the Waltair club. It became such a hit with students, that we started a bigger outlet at Dutt Island adding coffee and iced tea to the menu." With the introduction of newer brands to the coffee shop retail industry, Chauhan modified the menu to keep up with the changing demands and trends, though he maintains that the move was not prompted to counter competition.
The evolution
The change in the coffee shop hangout scene over the years in Vizag is apparent when you speak to an old timer. The well-heeled Vizag youngster today finds it normal to go to a coffee shop to hang out with friends on a daily basis. No more is it a family affair, like it used to be years ago. Sudhir Damerla, a freelance photographer, who has been a regular at PCC, since the day it opened doors in the city, sees a vast change in the age group and demography at coffee shops today. "Back then, the crowd that came to the one-odd coffee shop, was different. They were mostly 25 years or older. You could spot a lot of families too." With changing lifestyles and exposure to bigger brands, the age group of Vizagites hanging out at coffee shops is south of 25. "With the increase in allowances and pocket money, customers are mostly very young people," explains Damerla.
More than just coffee
P.S. Sumanth a final year engineering student from Raghu Engineering College says, "A coffee shop is not just a place to have coffee and leave. While hanging out at a coffee shop may seem fashionable to a few, fact is that we get to meet new people and strike up friendships."
Sashi, an engineering student from Pydah College, hangs out with his friends at a coffee shop every evening after college. "When I shifted to Vizag to pursue my engineering, hanging out used to be all about going to the beach with my friends. but that got boring after a while. Then we heard of this coffee shop at Siripuram. Now I hang out there with my friends every evening. For us, it's not just about coffee. it's nice to see Vizag catching up with bigger cities like Hyderabad."
Kicking it up a notch
While most are welcoming the influx of big brands of coffee shops in the city, there are those who are looking at taking the coffee shop experience to another level. Sean Rogers Pachigalla, partner of an upcoming coffee franchise in the city says, "Our main goal is to give Vizag a feel of the 'cosmopolitan culture'. Italian coffee flavours, free Wifi and a cool international ambience are some of the things that Vizagites can now look forward to. That's something very common in the West, and we are trying to bring this global experience to Vizag."
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