Café Thamel Grind promoting affordability

KATHMANDU, Aug 2: Café Thamel Grind is a joint venture of three young entrepreneurs Nischal Shahi, 20, Prayag Koirala, 24, and Sanchaya Chapagain, 20.  The café is the result of the trio’s enthusiasm to try their hands in hospitality management. In doing so, the team went through an intense research and started searching an ideal location to start a restaurant business. However, the unavailability of land in competitive areas finally led the trio into buying an already established ‘Thamel Grind’. Eventually, they changed the name to ‘Café Thamel Grid’ to provide a cozy feel to the establishment.  

Further explaining the reason behind the change in name, Shahi stated, “The name of the café was unclear for most of Nepali; they used to think it was a restaurant instead of a café. So, we changed the name to ‘Café Thamel Grind’ to make our purpose clear.” 

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He also explained the challenges saying, “We were not sure what we wanted to do. So, we started researching about businesses with higher demands. We came to a conclusion that cafés were a good source of income, so we decided to give a try.” 

Though the café is situated in one of the busiest places of Kathmandu, it flaunts a peaceful and cozy ambiance. Also, the prices, which range from Rs 50 to Rs 280, fit the budget of moderate earners. The affordability and its top-notch service have prompted the café to become popular among youngsters. 

Different drinks including soft drinks, juices, and coffees are preferred by its clientele. Moreover, its recent addition, waffles, which are available in different flavors like ice-cream, and Nutella, , is also expected to lure in many. 

 “We have well-trained barista to ensure quality and taste of coffees. And we introduce various discount schemes in regular intervals to promote our café among youngster,” Shahi claimed. “You need a lot of background research, investment, and patience before starting any business. Also, it’s not easy for new businesses to gain a healthy customer base.” 

When we asked Shahi for his opinion on abroad migration for foreign employment, he said, “It’s not bad to go abroad, but to those who travel abroad for education, I suggest bringing back their experiences, and knowledge to Nepal, because there’s a broad scope for investment in Nepal as well.”