Chaiiwala to open Blackburn drive-thru

Indian street food brand Chaiiwala is to open a new drive-thru, in Blackburn. It plans to launch at Grimshaw Retail Park, offering the brand’s breakfast roti wraps, Bombay bowls, Wala wraps and dishes inspired by traditional Indian home cooking. Chaiiwala opened the UK’s first Indian drive-thru, in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in 2023, in partnership with the EG Group, and has since been rolling out further such locations. The Blackburn site will also be a fourth location for cousins, Yakub and Arif Master, who started franchising with Chaiiwala eight years ago. Sohail Ali, co‑founder of Chaiiwala, said: “Blackburn is an important town for us. With a strong existing footprint in the town and across Lancashire, our new drive-thru will enable us to deepen our connection with local consumers. It is also the fourth location of our fantastic franchisees Arif and Yakub. After opening their first store in 2017, the pair have been huge advocates of the brand and played an important role in shaping our franchisee engagement strategy as members of our franchise committee. This location – their first drive-thru – will present another opportunity for them to grow with us, while supporting our UK expansion strategy.”

Richard Negus, of AG&G, acted on this deal on behalf of Burger King the previous leaseholder.