Arshad Khan, Pakistan’s most famous Chaiwala who became an international Chai phenomenon, has mastered the global chaye scene and is preparing to launch his trademark café in London..
Café Chaiwala, Khan’s brand, has officially opened its doors to consumers at 229 Ilford Lane in East London, an area populated by Pakistanis, Indians, and Bangladeshis..
The large billboard outside the café welcomes tea lovers to the café made famous by the Islamabad street Chai vendor-turned-celebrity.
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Three investor brothers — Bahadar, Nadir, and Akbar Durrani — have introduced the brand specifically to London and want to develop several “Café Chaiwala Arshad Khan” franchises around the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East..
But who exactly is Arshad Khan? For those who remember, Khan was a desolate adolescent selling Chai at an Islamabad roadside booth (Dhabba) seven years ago. Khan was about 12 years old and had no formal schooling when he began laboring to support himself and his 17-member family.
When Pakistani photographer Javeria Ali caught his remarkable features and ocean blue in October 2016, the tea seller was 16 years old. Khan didn’t have access to a phone when his photo became viral. When people flocked to his Dhabba to snap pictures with him, he realized he had become a celebrity.
Akbar Durrani indicated in an interview that he intends to open 50 franchises in the United Kingdom.
“Café Chaiwala Arshad Khan has gone international, and London being the world’s capital is just the beginning.”We intend to make this an international brand.After extensive market research and business planning, we opened our first London location.”
Café Chaiwala is the best location for nostalgia, boasting traditional and cultural Pakistani aspects such as truck art and a hand decorated Vespa, desi paintings on the wall, and an environment that is modern and Dhabba at the same time.
Arshad, too, intends to visit London shortly in order to meet his followers. “My visit is being planned, and I would love to brew tea for my adoring fans,” he stated. I’ve got thousands of requests to visit London. Our first international Chai business has opened on Ilford Lane, and the response has been overwhelming. We worked with the Durrani brothers.
Ilford Lane was chosen as the starting point since it is home to a big population of Pakistanis and Indians who enjoy Chai.
While Akbar travels around the world to focus on the family’s businesses, Nadir Durrani operates the Ilford Lane Chaiwala.
“We have demonstrated on the café’s front that this is the only authentic Chaiwala in Britain,” he stated.Many people have come in to inquire about Chaiwala Arshad Khan and whether he is the same individual who rose to prominence while pouring Chai in an Islamabad market.
Akbar disclosed that they had signed to a contract for international rights with Arshad Khan Chaiwala in 2021, but there had been a delay in locating a suitable location to match the brand’s image and potential.
“We have been in the food business for over 20 years and have enough expertise in scoping a business and having it in the right place,” he explained. To begin with, there is no better place in London than Ilford Lane, which has already become a distinctive landmark for us due to its location in the heart of an Asian neighborhood. Thousands of people will be exposed to the brand. We are
planned to open about a dozen cafes across London, and work on this has already begun.”
