UAE rains: Cafés report spike in demand for tea, snacks as residents enjoy cold weather

Nothing beats a cup of hot steaming tea while it rains. As a testimony to that fact, cafes in the UAE witnessed a sharp spike in demand for tea and snacks as three days of unstable weather hit the country.

“We had to make extra 'pakoras' and 'samosas', since the demand has been so high in the last couple of days,” said Riyaz Ahmed Sheikh, the owner of Chai Wala Café. “Tea at our café is always in demand, but yesterday’s weather made our tea maker work a little [harder] than usual.”

Several parts of the UAE have been hit by moderate to heavy rainfalls since Monday, prompting the NCM to issue a yellow alert for the rain. Several emirates experienced intense waterlogging, with residents struggling to make their daily commute.

Numerous other cafes in the city also reported an influx in customers and orders. Shahid, who serves at Raju Omelet in Al Barsha, said the restaurant had experienced much heavier crowds in the last three days than it usually does over the weekends.

“We have had a lot of customers in the last three days – perhaps that is because of the weather. We are receiving more and more delivery orders too,” he said.

Social media has been flooded with visuals of rain around the UAE, and food delivery services were suspended at several points over the week due to the bad weather. In a statement, food delivery service Talabat had said that it would be taking into consideration the safety of its riders as deliveries were impacted in several emirates.

Omar, a Talabat food captain, told Khaleej Times that ever since deliveries have resumed, he has received orders mostly for 'chai.' “This is my fifth tea order in the last couple of hours,” he said, when KT caught up with him. “Ever since our services were restored, we have had the highest number of orders for tea and samosas.”

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