Sowcarpet, a commercial hub in the city, has got its first food court that will be operated round the clock.
Sowcarpet Food Court, located at the end of the busy Mint Street, is spread over 4,000 square feet. It is unique in that it is a vegetarian food court, and food-lovers can find Jain food here.
The food court, which opened its doors in February this year, gets an average of 500-800 visitors on weekdays and over 1,500 persons at weekends.
“Before we started this food court, we did a thorough analysis and realised that there are many eateries at Sowcarpet, but one needs to stand and eat at most of these places. And many people are not comfortable standing and eating on the narrow streets. So we decided to open this place with dining space,” says Ranjeet Singh, one of the partners in the venture.
“Currently, we have around eight brands operating here. We have got teams and cooks from Rajasthan and Mumbai to ensure authentic food,” Mr. Singh says. “We have one outlet called Hyderabad Dosa Hub: the batter used here is different, and we have sourced the kitchen items directly from Hyderabad,” he says.
A place for traders
Sowcarpet has already been home to eateries that sell north India food and delicacies. These outlets attract crowds at night. The Mint Street here houses the famous Kakada Ramprasad Sweets and right next to it is Anmol Lassi shop. Each day, thousands of traders, shoppers, and retailers from across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States visit Sowcarpet for business inquiries. And they all visit these food outlets.
Bharath, who runs a bangle store, says, “Earlier, only traders came and they enjoyed visiting the food stalls here and they even packed for their friends and families. Now, with the advent of social media, especially Instagram, many youngsters have started coming here for shopping. They also hang out at these food outlets.” “Many people come here after 8 p.m. to buy fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices. Now, during summer, you can even get the best quality mangoes for ₹450 a box (two dozens). And they grab food and snacks at the outlets here at night,” says a financier, who has been operating out of the NSC Bose Road for the last three decades.
