[1]Chennai: Gone are the days when people turned their nose up on budget hotels and subsidised canteens. While Amma canteens, serving subsidised food, have become an instant hit, the recently renovated Jan Ahar, a hotel operated by the railways at Central railway station, is seeing increasing footfalls since it was renovated and opened for passengers on Friday.
Chief public relations officer for southern railway D. Lakshamanan said, “We had been serving low-cost food at this outlet in the station previously. A need was seen to give it a better look.”
Anirudh Ranjan, a regular traveller, said, “Such low-cost canteens go easy on the pocket and this new one looks cleaner and seems well-maintained. More of such canteens need to be opened.”
Anand Paswan, another traveller, added, “The menu looks limited. An addition of more items will definitely increase the number of passengers visiting the hotel.”
The presence of private chains which operate in the station give stiff competition to this hotel but railway sources claim a better and clean premises will help bring in more guests.A veg biriyani that costs Rs 80 at a private chain costs Rs 43 here, and lemon rice that costs Rs 45 in the private hotel is almost 60 per cent less at Jan Ahar.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/jan-aharjpg-268