Chaiiwala has expanded its motorway presence with the opening of a new express-format café at Roadchef Magor Services on the M4.
The 320 sq ft café opened on 12 August and represents Chaiiwala’s first Roadchef location in Wales and its second Welsh site, joining its existing café on City Road in Cardiff.
The opening extends Chaiiwala’s developing partnership with Roadchef following its first motorway service station location at Watford Gap and the subsequent introduction of an expanded container café at Sandbach Southbound Services on the M6.
H&C News reported earlier this month that the 320 sq ft Sandbach site was the first in a pipeline of six new Chaiiwala container openings planned across Roadchef locations during August.
Magor takes the format into Wales for the first time and forms part of Chaiiwala’s strategy of expanding into high-footfall travel locations alongside its traditional high street estate.
The café serves the brand’s signature Karak Chaii, brewed on site using a seven-spice blend, alongside Wala Wraps, breakfast wraps, rice bowls, Bombay Toasties, sweet items and hot and cold drinks.
The Magor location is operating daily from 8am until 9pm.
Founded in Leicester in 2015, Chaiiwala has expanded its café model across high streets, shopping centres and transport locations.
The brand’s current UK estate comprises more than 100 stores, while its wider expansion has increasingly incorporated formats suited to airports and motorway service areas.
Chaiiwala’s move into motorway services began with its Watford Gap location, which introduced a compact grab-and-go version of the brand designed for travellers.
Its subsequent Sandbach opening increased the size of the format through two connected containers, providing greater operational capacity and allowing a broader menu to be offered throughout the day.
Sohail Ali, Co-Founder of Chaiiwala, said: “We’re delighted to bring Chaiiwala to Roadchef Magor, marking our first Roadchef location in Wales and building on the momentum of our successful openings at Watford Gap and Sandbach.
“Travel locations are an exciting growth opportunity for Chaiiwala. They allow us to bring high-quality, affordable Indian street food-style dishes and our world-famous Karak Chaii to more consumers on the go, while introducing the brand to new audiences.
“With further service station openings planned, Magor marks another important step in the roll-out of our container café format and demonstrates the potential we see for Chaiiwala across high-footfall travel locations.”
The expansion comes as Roadchef continues to diversify the food and beverage offer across its motorway estate.
The operator has announced a wider £300 million investment programme covering its motorway service areas, including new food and drink concepts alongside upgrades to facilities and infrastructure.
Dan Sutton, Brands Director at Roadchef, said: “We’re committed to giving our customers more choice every time they stop with us, and Chaiiwala is a fantastic addition to Magor.
“As we continue to diversify our food and drink offering, we’re introducing exciting new brands that reflect the variety of tastes and preferences of the millions of people who travel on the UK’s motorway network each year.”
The Magor opening further develops Roadchef and Chaiiwala’s partnership as the café brand targets service stations and other travel hubs as an increasingly important part of its growth strategy.
Associated Articles
Chaiiwala Opens New Motorway Service Station Format Café in Sandbach
Provides the most direct related coverage, detailing Chaiiwala’s 31 July opening at Roadchef Sandbach and the wider pipeline of container cafés planned across the motorway network.
Chaiiwala Opens New Motorway Service Station Format Café in Sandbach
Elior UK Wins Five-Year Catering Contract at Air France Heathrow Lounge
Provides recent travel hospitality context, highlighting further investment in differentiated food and beverage provision across high-footfall transport locations.
Elior UK Wins Five-Year Catering Contract at Air France Heathrow Lounge
Roadchef Strengthens Pret A Manger Partnership with New Roadside Openings
Provides direct Roadchef context, highlighting the motorway operator’s continued strategy of broadening its branded food and drink offer through partnerships with established hospitality operators.
Roadchef Strengthens Pret A Manger Partnership with New Roadside Openings
