In an unprecedented trend that shows that ‘Amma’ canteens have started achieving one of the purposes for which they were started, many restaurants across the city, including major brands, are in the process of reducing prices of some items on their menu cards, to compete with the subsidised eateries of the Corporation and woo customers back.
Inaugurated in February by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the aim of the subsidised canteens was to ensure food at affordable prices for the poor.
While critics looked at the project with skepticism, the response of the people in the first few weeks clearly indicated that the canteens were a hit. Soon, 200 centres were opened across the city.
Senior officials of the Chennai Corporation told Express, one of the major objectives of the scheme was to make it a sort of a market intervention to bring down prices in restaurants across the board.