New old adda! Coffee House to have another branch in Chandigarh

You like your coffee and news piping hot. So here’s some of the latter first. The legendary Indian Coffee House is coming up with another branch, in Sector 36-D. It will be opening up tentatively between June 15 and 20.

Now, in a move to adopt the modern touch, this branch will replace old-style fans and coolers with air-conditioning. The old-style furniture will be replicated in the new branch with the addition of sofas.

While regular customers would be happy to know that the coffee shop will retain the same cutlery and plain white crockery, the new branch may see a little hike in prices.

Manager Ramesh Dutt says, “Our new branch is still under construction. As compared to the one in Sector 17 which has a seating capacity of 90 people, the new one will have only 50. We are still seeking permission to use the basement. The two major differences are that this one will have air conditioning and sofas.” ICH had closed one of its two branches in Sector 17 four years ago.

City-based writer Manu Kant, who has been a regular at the Indian Coffee House for 20 years now, says, “How does it matter if they raise the prices a little? A majority of us don’t come for the food but the addictive ambience and to kill time,” adding, “It’s a moment of relief because there were strong rumours that the Sector-17 branch was closing down but, with the new branch, we are in no danger of that.”

A frequent visitor for 40 years, local resident Ram Prasad Juneja said, “I am sure a lot of people are looking forward to the new branch. Since it’s opening in a southern sector, it will mostly be frequented by students because of the numerous coaching institutes around but I guess the charm will remain the same.”

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