Thats right... thats the reason I mostly find for going to a CCD these days in Bangalore. And to think that, just a few years ago, Coffee Shops or Bars, or Cafes, were just not as 'hot' as they are today.
Which got me thinking, where did we hang out before Cafes came into existence? For, more often than not, when meeting either a colleague or an old friend or even a business acquanitence, we would inevitably arrive at the conclusion, 'Oh yeah, there's a CCD in the neighbourhood. Let's go there.'
Indeed, the proliferation of CCD's in Bangalore is'nt funny. You find them everywhere!
Go to
*https://cafecoffeeday.com/stores.htm
to find the CCD store locations in your city, just in case you want a place to meet :).
Indeed, there are 130 outlets just in Bangalore! Can you believe that?
*So then, why in the world am I giving CCD 3 stars 'only' for being a place where we can um... meet, and errrr.... have coffee?
Well, for this simple reason, "A Lot Can Happen Over Coffee", but more often than not, the Coffee is just a sidedish in the whole experience. It does nothing to shaken or enliven the whole 'Cafe' experience. Indeed, with the proliferation of CCD's in recent years and their growing popularity, service standards have fallen and prices, inevitably, have risen.
Well, I won't go into each particualr instance when CCD's service let me down, so let me just get doow to the CCD experience.
The wise among us will know that the first CCD in Bangalore was the Brigade Road Branch, and it was quite a sensation at the time (Well, I was in Joseph's college, close by), and we used to, budget willing, get amazed at the new fangled experience of having a Cuppa which was not filter coffee. Well, I must, say that was a good 7 years ago, and no, not much has changed since then.
Oh yeah, the menu has now got lottttsssss of new additions, with over 40 different types of drinks both hot and cold, and quite a few tidbits to munch on. But then, the coffees taste exactly the same as they did, which is both a good and a bad thing. The bad? Well, the amount of Ice in their 'Ice Crushed' Cold Coffees, which sometimes gave me a sore throat at the end of it.
But I am digressing, lets get away from the menu and back to the 'Experience'.
At a CCD, especially during the late afternoon / early evening hours, you would find many outlets literally full with people though that seems to have slowed down a bit owing to the recession. And well, thats the first thing about the CCD these days which I do not like. Their success has resulted in almost every brach being choc-a-bloc with conversations and music playing in the background to try and drive out the noise. The televisions are ususally mute spectators to the whole melange of activity, and I wonder if anyone even pays attention to them (unless, possibly ,an IPL T20 match is going on).
But in this chaos, I did manage to find a few interesting tidbits. You get to see a lot of different people and different experiences. Of course, then you would ask, "Why bother?", and I have to agree that my previous statement was pretty convoluted. Why do we want to bother ourselves observing others, unless we were waiting for someone to come join us? And thats another thing about CCD's... you feel miserable if you are sitting there alone, ina corner, with the masses of humanity thronging the place in groups. Trust me, it is much better to have a companion when you go there, unless you simply need to catch up on a book or perhaps some wi-fi net surfing on your laptop, which is available in select outlets.
Now, back to the food and service... CCD has its usual array of Coffees, which I always find the hot ones to be 'lulkewarm', never hot, no matter how many times I ask them for it. But, to its credit, at least the design on the foam on the top looks nice... until you have to ruin it by pouring your satchet of sugar into it. Well, I guess as regular vetarans, we have grown tired of the sameness of the Arabica beans, but then, what else can CCD serve? Good tea?
The Cold Coffees and drinks are better in my opinion, but only just. My favourite item among this lot remains the Cafe Frappe with the Hazelnut flavouring topped with Whipped Cream... a bit sunful, but worth it.
CCD has an array of pastries, sandwiches, burgers, samosas, hot dogs, quiches and other things to eat along with your coffee. Mind you, at some outlets, you would find that by evening, a lot of the stock has run out and your menu options would become severely limited. The best item, by far, for me, was the Chicken Quiche, which, sadly, they don't seem to be selling anymore. The sandiwhces are also good, in particular, the Spinach Corn and Cheese sandwich, but the Hot Dogs and Burgers I wuld rather leave aside. The Veg burger in particular tastes nasty.
I have never had the pastries, but the, I don't think pastries are a particular good combination with an already Sweet Coffee.
Service... well, at the crowded outlets, you kind of feel sorry for the guys and girls at rush hour. Especially since many outlets are cramped for walking around, their job of carrying orders, bills and others it particuarly difficult. But still, at times, I find that you literally have to shout over the din to get your order placed. But otherwise, I have found that they always smile while serving you, or maybe I have been lucky enough to experience that.
Prices? Well, at around Rs. 40 odd starting for the Coffees, going up to as much as Rs. 100, I have never found CCD to be a value for money proposition, but then, I guess, the money you pay is more for the ambience than anything else.
CCD also selles Roasted Coffee Powder to make coffee at home, and also T-Shirts, Mugs, and other paranphelia, but I havent bothered much with these.
*So there you go, Cafe Coffee Day, where people meet, simply because there is no other place to while away a bit of time with your mates / colleagues / business assocaites... Oh, and also have a bit of Coffee along the way.
P.S. on 'Special' occasions like Christmas or Valentine's Day, CCD gets rid of its normal menu and substitutes it with a horrificly expensive 'special' menu with 'special' items. Now, these items cost a lot more, and you are not allowed on those days, to order from the regular menu. Adn you thought that only telecom companies could rip you off by charging Re. 1 for messages on Special Days. Well, I can only surmise that CCD learnt this trick from them.
