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Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: January 27: They said that it isn't an up-market place for a new age swanky restaurant to be. But at the same time the students nearby were desperately waiting for something to revolutionize their everyday college life, and replace their boring canteen. We are talking about Nerul L.P, a polluted, supposedly not so very up-market place, that has welcomed a little change in its image. The entry of Coffee Day Xpress, a Café Coffee Day outlet, is a case in point.

Xpress, a franchise of the big brand CCD, has outlets through out India , and the one at LP opened about two months back. Owner Supriya Raina says, "We did a market research on where should the outlet be opened and we found that the students of colleges near LP, mostly the engineering and medicine students, badly needed a change from their college canteen. So we thought if we could attract this target group, the business would be good." Raina, a housewife, and her friend Rita Tiku, who was with the ABN Amro Bank, wanted to do something different and as they are finding out, this business is indeed interesting.

Why only CCD? To that Raina says, "I wanted some kind of a standard to offer to the youngsters. Otherwise opening a vada-pav stall or a small restaurant is no big deal."

The food comes from the Coffee Day vendors, to whom the outlets have to place an order. It is not just the snacks and beverages that are attracting the young crowd, but it is also the ambience, the careful planning of the whole atmosphere that makes the place comfortable. Decorated in yellow and blue with glass tables and a twin sofa, the place is cool and dignified for students to eat and chat in peace.

For Shivani Nayak, a second year engineering student at RAIT, and her friends, the place has become a frequent hangout, "My friends and I come here very often, because not only is it near to the college, but it has a nice atmosphere. No other place in the vicinity of the DY Patil campus is so cool. Plus it is CCD yaar!"

So that proves Raina right. Students want some standard in what they are associated with. And this analysis has yielded some great results for her. "We get almost on an average 50-100 people every day. In between, the students were having a holiday, so the number was very less, but with classes beginning again, the students are back again," says manager Sayed Fareed.

The outlet remains open from 8:30 in the morning to 11 at night and by serving a variety of items from burger to sandwich, hot chocolate to expresso, and with some great music playing in the background, the latest rage for the young crowd in Nerul is surely CD Xpress. The sales figures of their 'Thick Shake' and Coffee prove that allright!


Lakshmi Subramanian