CHiPS makes a comeback amid tears of joy

Customers relish memories associated with the eatery that had been shut down

KARACHI: Alizeh Valjee was so overwhelmed at the re-launch of CHiPS restaurant that she cried as she spoke about her memories associated with the restaurant.

"I used to go to the old CHiPS as a child with my dada [grandfather] and have regular beef burger," she reminisced. "Then, when I entered my teens, every time we would go to the beach, we would go there, too." The news of the shutdown had shocked her, but the reopening equally delighted her.



The famous roast beef burger eatery at Boat Basin, which had been closed this May after 27 years, has made a comeback at a new location under a new owner. Located at Badar Commercial, CHiPS opened its doors at 6pm on Independence Day on Friday, and customers like Valjee, who came to know about the reopening through Facebook, thronged the place for its beef burgers.



Read: Regular customer at CHiPs saves it from shutdown

The new owner, 29-year-old Shayaan Tahir, who spent some time in the kitchen, others talking to customers, looked nervous.  "It feels nice but there were challenges," he said. "I had to recreate a franchise." Tahir, who was a customer at the old CHiPS, has not only adopted the old name of the restaurant but the entire staff as well, emphasising that the taste remains the same.



Just half an hour into the opening of the restaurant, it was jam-packed with people, who queued up for the burgers. Tahir, who was not expecting a large crowd during the first days, said that he plans to take CHiPS to shopping malls.



The prices and the menu remain the same. "We don't want to bring in changes right now," he said. "We want to stay the same but have uplifted the quality." The restaurant will open every day from 9am till 10pm, including Sundays. Amjad Abbasi, who is among the staff, hopes that it works out well. "I am happy to be working for CHiPS again."



Read: Bidding farewell: CHiPs to close doors after 27 years

Meanwhile, the food drew mixed reaction from the customers. Munching a roast beef burger, Hamza Iftikar said that it tasted like the old ones. "The taste of the beef and the sauce is the same."



However, another customer, Farooq Hussain, who had been frequenting CHiPS since 1988, felt that the burger looked smaller and the unique taste of the sauce wasn't there anymore.

Photos: Aysha Saleem

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2015.