Chaiiwala has expanded its partnership with Roadchef with the opening of a new express format café at Sandbach Southbound Services on the M6.
The new 320 sq ft café opened on Friday 31 July 2026.
It builds on the successful trial of Chaiiwala’s first motorway location at Watford Gap Services in 2025.
The opening supports Chaiiwala’s strategy to grow through diverse formats in high-footfall, on-the-go locations.
The Sandbach café is the first in a pipeline of six new container openings planned at Roadchef service stations in August.
The rollout will introduce Roadchef travellers to a new food offer, while giving Chaiiwala customers access to its menu on the road.
Founded in Leicester in 2015, Chaiiwala is known for Indian street food and café-style dishes inspired by traditional flavours.
The new Sandbach café builds on the Watford Gap trial with a larger and enhanced container format.
The site brings two containers together, doubling operational capacity and creating more space for customers on the go.
The expanded format will also allow Chaiiwala to offer a broader range of its products across multiple mealtimes.
The menu includes the brand’s signature Karak Chaii, freshly brewed on site using a secret blend of seven spices.
Other menu items include Wala Wraps, all-day breakfast wraps, rice bowls, Bombay Toasties, sweet treats and hot and cold drinks.
The Sandbach opening reflects the success of Chaiiwala’s first motorway container and the strength of the brand.
It also marks the latest milestone in the company’s plan to scale up to 500 global locations over the next 10 years.
With an established presence across the UK, Chaiiwala continues to expand into new towns, cities and travel locations.
The brand said it is targeting places where demand for accessible Indian cuisine is growing and where it can introduce its proposition to new audiences.
Sohail Ali, Co-Founder of Chaiiwala, said: “We’re delighted to open our new container café at Sandbach Services, building on the success of our first motorway services location with Roadchef at Watford Gap.
“Travel locations are an exciting growth opportunity for Chaiiwala, allowing us to bring high-quality, affordable Indian street food-style dishes and world-famous Karak Chaii to more consumers on the go.
“With further service station openings planned this year, Sandbach marks an important step in the roll-out of our container café format and our strategy to introduce Chaiiwala to new audiences in high-footfall travel locations, creating a strong platform to make the brand a household name.”
Dan Sutton, Brands Director at Roadchef, added: “We’re committed to giving our customers more choice every time they stop with us, and Chaiiwala is a fantastic addition to Sandbach Southbound.
“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.”
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