Private eatery in Malleswaram matches Indira, Appaji canteen prices

A darshini-style eatery in Malleswaram began serving light-on-the-wallet food even before the subsidised Indira Canteen and Appaji Canteen came into the picture.

Called Brahmin’s Bombat Chat, it is run by N Manjunath (30) and his mother Girijamma. About 1,000 people eat here every day. Government and party-run canteens have a ceiling on how many people they serve, but Manjunath has no such restriction. “I wanted to serve good, tasty food. I have received huge acclaim from people,” he told DH.

Earlier, no one would recognise him, but now, when he goes out, people call out to him as the owner of the budget eatery. “That makes me happy,” he said.

With no capital to start a business, he bought utensils from the Sunday Bazar (flea market) in Chickpete. About 10 boys work at his eatery, some of them delivering food at customers’ doorsteps. Brahmin’s Bombat Chat opened months before the government-subsidised Indira Canteen and the JD(S)-run Appaji Canteen, both with similar pricing.

“Six months ago, when I began my business, I charged Rs 20 for rice bath and Rs 30 for mixed rice. It was a huge success,” he recalls.

He brought down the price of all items to Rs 10 on Wednesdays, and then extended the discount to all days. “I was planning to give free food once a week in memory of my father. But my friends cautioned me against it. So I decided to give all items at Rs 10,” he says.

Vishwanath, a regular customer since the day the eatery opened, finds the food better than in other restaurants in the vicinity. “We get a variety for just Rs 10. And the food is tasty. It is better than what we get at government-run canteens,” he said.