Since open letters are all the rage.
*****
Dear Cafe Coffee Day
I want to start by congratulating you, there is now a CCD outlet in almost every street that ever witnessed a popular local tea stall – and much to my delight this has been accomplished despite the lack of availability of parking space :).
This burst of outlets re-affirms my faith that whatever may be the fate of a new Telengana state the people of Andhra Pradesh will always have a CCD next door to help them start conversations.
Despite being a resident of Secunderabad for over a decade I had failed to sample the bread and muffins that the local ‘bakeries’ dish out by the thousands every day, but thanks to your well balanced menu featuring these local products I now can boast of palette knowledge of cheap tasting baked products.
Also, I may never be able to truly understand the supply chain and logistics that go into the procurement of your specialty dishes, but hopefully through this letter I can convey to you the valuable business lessons that I have learned from your brand. It is a delightful learning in perception indeed when I watch locally procured potato chips (ordered at 10 rupees a kilo) being passed off as French fries. Special kudos to your cunning and intelligence which is not only a learning in profit making but also a valuable insight to the art of modifying perception.
Much appreciation must be given for visits to your outlets has enriched my understanding of flavour profiles and experimentation – the wonderful way in which the blueberry jam is diluted with water to make it into blueberry sauce is not just a lesson in invention but also a first in the entire concept of culinary ‘out of box’ thinking.
Even more endearing is the fact that trips to CCD have come to remind me of childhood escapades – the tastes of 10 rupees a dozen muffins that are ohh so elegantly presented at the various CCD outlets is what the Matercard guys would call ‘priceless’ – I must at this time also deviate and thank my employers who give me the income that I so willingly seem to spend for such simple joys.
Your methods of providing personal attention and detail also shines through as almost each time the tea comes in with a strand of hair and oh! not to forget the friendship ‘band’ that sneakily finds its way into my bill as the pleading staff rattles how he/she needs to meet a sale target – charming and endearing in a clingy sort of way.
The compassion for the promotion of local business via the refreshing concept of buying local and selling global coupled with a whiney staff has truly won my heart. In fact I will go so far as to praise you for giving the term glocalization a whole new meaning.
Cafe Coffee Day, without your foresight and business ethics the coffee scene in Hyderabad would not be the same. Without you, we would have been stuck with the likes of Barista and Gloria Jean’s.
Now, wouldn’t that be a shame.
