The brand with an attitude does it again!
Once upon a time there was only “Star Bucks.” The giant coffee chain straddled the globe with few rivals and no superiors. And then our one an only “Sattar Buksh” marched on to the world stage with a brazen panache that was its very own.
Sattar Buksh (SB) is a brilliant and refreshing take on the hoary old logo of the original “Star Bucks” brand. Indeed the formidable mustachioed figure that’s stares at all customers who enter the restaurant, with an imperious stance easily outshines its arguably blander counterpart in much the same way as tea does the same for coffee. (Apologies for all those unfortunates who prefer the latter over the former)
The local iteration of Star Bucks has never been shy of controversy. In fact it positively thrives on it. The global giant ‘Star Bucks’ had sued it for copyright infringement, but ended up being roasted like their own coffee, since Sattar Buksh thoughtfully pointed out that a formidably mustachioed “ Sattar Buksh” has been seeped in our socio-cultural milieu for so long that ‘Alexander the great’ himself even considered growing his mustaches to ‘blend in.’ (Truly horrible pun intended) In fact according to local folklore, the much maligned toughie ‘Gullu Butt” (of car window-smashing fame) is also a variation of the age old social institution that is “Sattar Buksh.”
Meanwhile apart from their well-known ‘Hathora maar beef strips’ (the hathoras may just be thrown from across the border by our beef loving {or hating} neighbours) they have their Bhiniot Bun Kebabs, that make street food look like a gourmet delicacy.
And speaking of our eastern neighbours, Sattar Buksh just ended up being targeted by; of all the people; Paresh Rawal of ‘Andaz apna Apna’ and Hera pheri fame. The comedian tweeted to the effect that Pakistan does not have their own Sattar buksh and therefore has a’ replica’ of the real thing courtesy its alliance with China.
A parody of the Sattar Buksh account promptly fired back by asking him to partake of Sattar Buksh’s LOC pizza, gratis. That particular dish was created by someone who really knows how to dish it out.
One half is a beef lovers’ delight and the other half is strictly no beef, for those who take the colloquial term “Holy Cow” very very literally indeed! The good people at Sattar Buksh cheekily ask their customers to decide which ‘side’ they are on.
However, sparring with foreign comedians is not what makes a restaurant tick. The reason why SB is pretty popular three years down the road since its creation (and has managed to survive the onerous ban on Shisha that has been the downfall of many other eateries) is due not just to its trendy and funny sounding dishes, but the quality of their wares, not to mention the admittedly rustic ambiance. SB is all about ‘genteel yet austere elegance.’
In fact they positively seem to ‘get off’ on controversy and enjoy the ensuring popularity.
After all, there is no such thing as ‘bad publicity’ and whether it’s Messers Star Bucks and Co or Mr. Raval, Sattar Buksh has managed to make waves far beyond what anyone would have thought possible.
As the handwriting (in Sattar Buksh case quite literally) on the walls says “Dekh magar pyar say.”
