The store is located on the Ambala-Chandigarh Expressway and adds to the 187 outlets that the brand has across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. Starbucks entered the Indian market in October 2012 through a 50:50 Joint Venture with Tata Global Beverages (now called Tata Consumer Products Ltd).

“Tata Starbucks has had an incredible journey in India, and we are proud to have achieved yet another milestone. The opening of our first drive-thru store showcases our commitment to evolving our brand and business in India and providing new and meaningful experiences to our customers,” said Navin Gurnaney, chief executive officer, Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd.

The drive-thru format is convenient for customers who want to pick up their orders from their cars , or travellers on the go. The drive-thru window offers them the same range of menu items available at other Starbucks locations. However, the café also has two levels of in-store seating and offers free wi-fi and Starbucks merchandise.

To introduce the drive-thru in India, Tata Starbucks launched a digital marketing campaign with the tagline “Why wait for your brew, when you can drive-thru?”

Late last month, the company resumed its dine-in service at select stores in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara with enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols. The stores operate with 50% seating capacity to allow for social distancing between customers and employees. However, home delivery and kerbside takeaway service is available for customers across India.

In an earlier interview to Mint, Gurnaney said that the pandemic will set a new normal in human behaviour. “Even after the crisis blows over, customers are going to take time to recover and come back to their usual routines,” he said.

He added that the situation will drive digital innovations in a big way. “For years, Starbucks globally has one of the best omnichannel retail experiences through concepts like electronic payments, mobile apps, pickup-only stores or third-party delivery networks to make the Starbucks experience more ubiquitous,” he said.