next weekend hopefully…
The sign for Chaiiwala appeared a few weeks ago and several of you have been asking when is it opening?
So we braved the rain on the 9th September and went to try to find an answer.
We had the pleasure of meeting Stephane, the manager of the site.
The Adil Group will open Chaiiwala, under franchise. They also own and operate Anytime Fitness next door and the Maitrise Hotel.
The Adil Group is a large group of companies that originated in Brent, employs more than 4000 employees and is run by the Adil family.
They expanded their leisure and property business, specialising in operating franchises. They are a large franchisee for Costa Coffee, KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell amongst others and operate the 2 Costas and the KFC in Cricklewood. The find more about them see here.
Chaiiwala will hopefully open on the 17th September, if all interior work is finalised. The team has already been recruited.
So what is Chaiiwala?
Chaiiwala first started in 1927 in the streets of New Delhi, and they opened their first restaurant in 2016 in Leicester. Their concept is to offer “a Sip of the East”. So except Indian street food and Chaii.
To find out more about Chaiiwala menu please see their website here.
It was delightful to speak with Stephane who reported that The Maitrise Hotel has great occupancy rates and that the visitors appreciated the location for its convenience. Most guests are tourists. When we asked why it was called “The Maitrise Hotel, Maida Vale” he said that it was to improve marketing… No comment there, hope that one day it will become “The Maitrise Hotel, Kilburn”.
We had a long discussion about Kilburn, that Stephane discovered during lockdown, that he spent in Kilburn! He lives in Bristol but spends the week in Kilburn. The same recurring themes around the lack of care by the authorities came accross strongly. He is a fan of some of the good value and real food in Kilburn! He recommends Mama Pollo at 45 Kilburn High Road, Roosters Piri Pri at 2 Kilburn Bridge and Soor at 40D Kilburn High Road.
Hope this new venture will be a success.
