Who in their wildest dreams would have imagined that ‘A lot can happen over coffee?’
But, apparently, one cup of coffee was all it took to make happen starting the ‘90s when V.G. Siddhartha founded Café Coffee Day’s first outlet in Bengaluru's upscale Brigade Road in 1994.
With a chain of 1,843 outlets spread over more than 200 cities, including Vienna and Prague, Café Coffee Day made coffee a gourmet item for many in urban India. For many, cafés simply meant Café Coffee Day outlets, which ushered a change in lifestyle, helping them to move on from the roadside chai.
When the body of V.G. Siddhartha was found on the banks of Netravati River in Karnataka on Wednesday, it came as a shock for everyone. It also led to a walk down memory lane for many people for whom CCD cafés signified brewing romance, frothy friendship tales, and heated discussions.
So many people took to Twitter to share their fondest memories of the chain with the hashtag ‘CCDMemories’ on social media. People shared stories of how they met their future spouse, how they had gone on dates and struck a business deal over a cup of coffee, among a world of anecdotes.
Vidushi Gupta shares, “I always used to go to CCD to have my favourite cappuccino coffee, mostly to chill with my close friends. CCD is our favourite spot to hang out, lots of memories and long talks have happened there.” She adds, “One of the best memories of the cafés was that I found the love of my life there, which was quite the coincidence.”
Aarti Tripathi shares her memory, “ Our first school reunion was organised at CCD. It was a great day, as we all were meeting after a year. We have so many memories that we could recall. It was just me and my BFFs gossiping and giggling over a nice cup of Americano, those were the days.”
VG Siddhartha, the son-in-law of S.M. Krishna, former Karnataka chief minister, was first reported missing on Monday evening by his driver. His body was found on the banks of the Netravati River near Mangaluru after a rigorous search over two days.
