A FOODIE has told how he tried the UK’s first Indian drive-thru restaurant - and only had one regret.
Chaiiwala on Manchester Road in Bolton is the first Indian to take on the likes of McDonald’s and Starbucks by allowing customers to grab food on the go.
The restaurant which opened just a month ago, serves all the signature Chaiiwala dishes.
Its menu offers up keema and roti and samosa burgers, as well as famous hot drinks including the signature pink chai and karak chai.
And one local who tried out the grub-on-the-go this week says his only regret was not ordering more food.
Manchester Evening News’ Thomas Molloy spent £34 for dinner for himself and one other.
Although they opted to park up and order inside their meal took just 15 minutes to get to their table.
They were treated to a Butter chicken roll, Mumbai mac 'n' cheese, a Kebab roll, Aloo tikki burger, Pana puri, Gunpowder masala chips, Gulab jamun, a blue limbu pani and a pink chaii with almonds and pistachios.
But in the end, they were still left wanting more.
He wrote: “I had seen quite a few people complaining about the pricing online but for the amount of money we paid in total (£34.05) I definitely feel as if we got good value for money in terms of how many different dishes we got.
“However, I was still left feeling as if I could have managed quite a bit more food at the end, so I can see where people are coming from.”
The chain’s owners believe the drive-thru is the way forward in the future
Co-founder Sohail Ali said: “This is a completely new experience for our valued customers and the first time they can experience our Indian street food in a drive-thru environment.
“We are offering this concept for the first time and are thrilled with the results.”
The idea for the drive-thru took years to develop as the team searched across the UK before settling on Bolton as their first location.
And it’s thought more drive-thrus across the UK are on the horizon.
Sohail said: “Using this design, we are now actively looking for new drive-thru locations across the UK that will replicate the Bolton store model.”