Are there really any college students (especially hostellers) who haven't experienced the perils of being broke? But, at the same time, you would rather hunt for some good food (even if it's a tad pricey) because you're sick of eating the hostel's half-cooked lumps of rice, the thin yellow liquid otherwise known as dal and frisbees masquerading as rotis. Can you imagine how much you would be spending though!
The case wasn't any different for Ann Prince and Abinaya Sundar, two second-year MBA students of Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai. But call it luck or an eye for great deals, this duo hit the jackpot when they found a lot of places around the city that were serving good food at affordable rates. So, did they decide to hog on and keep it a secret? Of course not. They started an Instagram handle, Two Broke Girls, where they post #foodporn level photos of food from restaurants that will not burn a hole in your pocket. The best part — everything that they post is priced below ₹200.
"Abinaya and I are both hostellers and the hostel food is terrible. So, we started eating out often and found some pretty great places. We had to share what we found so we decided to start a food page," says Ann. But food pages are in abundance on Instagram. What could they do to make theirs stand out? "That's when we thought of posting budget places and tips and tricks to save money while eating out," she adds.
So, what are these tricks exactly? "The food court in Forum Mall is expensive. But at the same time, if you go to the café at SPAR downstairs, you'll save a lot of money. The food is cheap and really tasty. Also, there is an affordable fresh juice stall next to that," Ann tells us. She adds that Zomato Gold is also an affordable option in the long run.
Do these broke girls have their personal favourites in Chennai? Definitely! "If you have Zomato Gold, Sarah's Soul Kitchen and Cafe Central are good choices. If not, we'd recommend Annai Fish Fry, a little stall on Elliot's Beach that serves the best seafood. We're yet to post about that place though, but soon," says Ann, who is overwhelmed by the response they've been getting from their followers, asking for suggestions.
Right now, these youngsters are planning to expand their locations to Bengaluru and Puducherry too. "Both of us are moving to different cities in the next few months, owing to placements. But we'll be travelling to Chennai quite often. That way, we can keep the page running and add options from different places," says Ann, signing off.
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