Amma canteen: Subject of management study

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Chennai: Anybody could have mistaken it for a food court in an IT park, but the location was Amma canteen at Santhome.
A group of girls, dres­sed in corporate gear and eagerly savouring the food  at the canteen were the focal attraction for passers-by on the route on  Friday.
Going a step beyond just serving healthy food at low rates, chief minister J.  Jayalalithaa’s canteen initiative has actually turned into a subject of  management study. It was the group of 26 MBA students from Rama­nujar  Engineering Colle­ge who had come to study the working of the canteen and  gave the entire milieu a new look.
The bunch of students, who would have usually chosen a swish restaurant at  which to chill out during lunchtime, found the subsidised food outlet so  impressive that they ended up tasting every item on the menu.
“It was an industrial visit, as a part of the course, but it turned out to be  a culinary experience for all of us,” said G. Gowri, a management graduate.  “We wanted to know the working of the service and also to make sure of the  quality of the food they serve as we had heard a lot about its efficient  functioning.”
“It was exciting to watch and learn from workers who were managing the outlet  efficiently,” said J. Arif, another second year student of the college who  not­ed that the canteen is offering nutritio­us fo­od at  low cost.
Professor R. Ramam­urthy, head of the department, said, “It was a learning  experience for these students. Not only did they relish the food, but it also  made them think on the inclusivity of such endeavours. This visit to Amma  canteen will propel them to take up similar projects as they leave college.”