Chennai City Centre – Did you know?
All of us know that the Chennai City Centre is on Radhakrishnan Salai… It has Lifetsyle, Landmark, Giordano, Wills Lifestyle, Helvetica among other small shops.
Did you guys know that at the City Centre INOX is coming up with a 4 screen multiplex by the end of August. Did you know that 4 Fine Dining restaurants, Benjarong, KFC, Zing and one more are coming up apart from a 10 counter food court on the 3rd Floor. It is also rumoured that Park Sheraton might open a roof-top facility replete with banquet facilities. Let’s hope all of this happens as in its current state I would rather go to Spencer’s rather than the City Centre.
Any one with more info on this?
Fine dining? KFC? Hmmmm I suppose opinions and tastes differ
WA: That’s the problem with the ‘new’ Madras, and probably most Indian ‘new’ cities today. Chavvy is not considered bad taste. Here rich kids dress in Adidas and poorer kids wear trousers and shirts! Likewise it is considered posh to dine in KFC which is still thought of as ‘foreign’ and therefore must be so. And in the same vain, they think Hollywood makes good movies!!! (sontha kathai ethukku ippo?)
guys, when I said fine dining what probably i didn’t was I didn’t mention I was quoting what the City Centre manager told me… yes KFC and fine dining are poles apart… agreed..
Vinod: The question has got to do less with who said it, but the fact that it was said, and such a belief exists in Chennai. The unfortunate truth is, ‘most’ of our big businesses have little or no taste!
Whatever it is, Vinod, I agreed, City Center, as is, sucks! I just loved the Lifestyle when it was in Alwarpet
When something different is presented (KFC, Subway etc)obviously it creates some interest.
It may not be a big deal after a while.
i like citi centre even now. it’s close to home – triplicane – and has a landmark outlet. grt.
One visit to Alwarpet Lifestyle was enough for me. I don’t buy expensive Western clothes so why should I bother to go back?
I haven’t been to this new City Centre place yet. Maybe, one day, when I’m passing anyway…
…As for KFC and that kind of thing:
Hated it when I was in London, but one day I had a whim to go into that Rooster (or something like that ) fried chicken shop in the old Lifestyle Alwarpet building. If there was any chicken between the burnt batter and the piece of bone I was unable to find it. Never again!
Spencer’s is of course best place to shop and it is the first shopping complex of chennai. however still Chennai City Center offers a cool calm and serene atmosphere which no other shopping complex can provide today. In today’s shrinking world Chennai City Center offers the most comfortable space for the shoppers.
For someone to impress their sweet hearts, it is surely a cool and cozy place as the entire air can add up to the romantic feeling:)
The Citi Center is clearly targeted on emptying wallets with no specific differentiating factor unless adding a few brand displays and overpricing everything to create exclusivity are counted factors.
Whatever little charm Lifestyle had for me, it lost it in the new envrons.
I cannot pay Rs.30 for parking and go in to pay a minimum of 40 bucks for coffee, 100 bucks for a milkshake…oh please. Give me Spencers anyday.
Those prices have caused me to postpone even further my one-day visit.
I cannot understand (and I am one of the world’s great extravagent shoppers…) the desire of Chennai’s youth to empty its wallets on expensive drinks when a chai can still be had for Rs2/50.
I guess they don;t find the pavement the best place to flash their cell phone at the ladies!
in terms of sheer arcitecture, the city centre is a confused one with many styles not conforming at all.. yes, the parking fee is ridiculous, considering the fact that you don’t have a choice even if you want to do window shopping… may be after INOX comes up it will be worth a visit…
CHENNAI CITI CENTRE WHEN FULLY FUNCTIONAL UPON THE OPENING OF ITS LARGE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL FOOD COURT,KFC RESTAURANT AND THE STATE OF THE ART INOX MULTIPLEX CINEMA WILL BECOME CHENNAI MOST POPULAR AND PREFFERED HANG OUT HOTSPOTS ATLEAST TILL AMPA CENTER ONE MALL OPENS IN MID-LATE 2007.CITI CENTRE MAY NOT TOTALLY DISPLACE SPENCERS BUT IT CERTAINILY WILL TAKE AWAY A LARGE CHUNK OF THE SPENCERS GOING CROWD.SPENCERS MALL DEVELOPERS HAVE NOT HAD THE VISION TO PROVIDE FOR ATLEAST A 3 SCREEN MULTIPLEX WHICH MIGHT HAVE SAVED IT AND CONTINUE TO WITH THE OPENING OF NEW MEGA MALLS.BUT IN TODAYS WORLD A MALL WITHOUT A MULTIPLEX CINEMA MEANS YOUR ASKING FOR TROUBLE.MORE THAN 70% OF ALL MALL REVENUES COME FROM FOOD COURTS,RESTAURANTS AND MULTIPLEX CINEMAS.CITI CENTRE WILL RULE THE ROOST,MORE THAN EVER FOR THE FIRST FULL YEAR AS IT HAS NO COMPETETION ATALL TILL AMPA GETS COMMISIONED NEXT YEAR.WE WAIT VERY ANXIOUSLY FOR THE FOOD COURT,KFC AND THE INOX MULTIPLEX CINEMA WHICH ARE ALL SCHEDULED TO OPEN VERY SOON.
Listen… /nobody/ waits anxiously for a KFC. Well, unless the anxiety is that one will unfortunately come along.
If all the youngsters go to this new place, then maybe Spencers will be left reasonably quite for those who actually wish to shop.
Mr Adams, YOUR CAPSLOCK KEY IS STUCK.
THERE ARE LOADS OF PEOPLE YOUNG AND OLD IN CHENNAI WHO ARE ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR KFC AND MCDONALDS,THE TWO MEGA INTERNATIONAL FAST FOOD MAJORS TO OPEN IN CHENNAI SOON.ITS PRESENT EVERWHERE IN INDIA IN ALL THE MAJOR METROS YET ITS STILL NOT OPENED UP CHENNAI TO DATE.AS ALWAYS CHENNAI IS LAST ON THEIR LIST DUE TO THE CONSERVATIVE NATURE AND EATING HABITS OF PEOPLE HERE.KFC WILL BE OPENING SOON IN ASCENDAS IT PARK,CHENNAI CITI CENTRE AND ALSO IN SPENCERS.KFC IS FAR BETTER THAN WHATS PRSENTLY AVAILABLE IN CHENNAI LIKE MARRYBROWN AND CHICKKING.KFC QUALITY IN INDIA IS FAR BETTER THAN WHAT U GET IN THE UK OR EVEN THE US.ANYONE WHOS BEEN TO THE KFC IN FORUM MALL IN BANGALORE WOULD VOUGE FOR IT.HAS ANYONE GOT ANY NEWS ON WHEN AND WHERE MCDONALDS WOULD BE OPENING UP IN CHENNAI.KINDLY PLEASE DO SHARE THIS INFO THANK YOU.
@john adams
i wouldn’t agree that chennai is last on the list due to its conservative nature… chennai has the highest per capita consumption of chicken in the country… retail rovolution started in chennai… and chennai is the most preferred test market for all marketing majors…
Okay then why have the two of the worlds largest most popular fast food majors still not opened up even a single outlet yet in such a large metropolitan city like Chennai to date.There is so much anticipation for their arrival amongst soo many that i have come across in daily life.They have more than one outlet in almost every other major metro in India.They know how difficult it is for them to breach this South Indian Tiffin eating market.Many a people here are still very conservative to their traditional eating habits.Chennai is last when it comes to establshing ceratin international ventures.Just look at organised retail sector.We may have started it off with Spencers but havent moved anywhere after that to establisg ourselves a city of international standard malls and multiplex.Just look our closest neigbouring city Bangalore it has already three state of the art malls in Forum,Garuda and Sigma and all these malls have phenomenal cuting edge technology and state of the art world class multiplexes.Lets not even talk about Delhi,Mumbai and Gurgoan.They are just too far ahead for us to even dream to reacg in this sector.We in Chennai havent even one such malls with multiplex to date.We are still waiting for Citi Centre to give us that new phenomenon with its INOX which will just be a small 4 screen.We need to be global city where we should embrase modern technology which we must have coexisting with City historic culture. That is what which will put Chennai on the global map as a world class city.We are certainly last among metros when it comes to organised retail malls multiplexes and internaional food majors which makes a Chenniate like myself very frustrated.
Does anyone have any idea or any information on where and when Mcdonalds would be opening its first outlet in Chennai.Please do share this if u get any info on it atall.I heard from some source that they are looking at opening their first outlet in Anna Nagar.Kindly share if anyone has any news atall thank you.
It has booked space in the AMPA Mall and therefore it shld be opening once AMPA mall is ready
YEAH THAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE MCDONALDS SECOND OUTLET IN CHENNAI.THE FIRST ONE IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN ANNA NAGAR SOMEEHERE.PROPBABLY,MOST LIKELY ON 2ND AVENUE.HOWEVER ITS DOESNT LOOK LIKELY TO OPEN ANYTIME SOON.PROBABLY SOMETIME FIRST QUATER OF 2007.EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH WE R MADE TO WAAAAAAAAAAAIIT !!! JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN IN HURRY DOES’NT IT…GUESS THATS OUR GLORIFIED VILLAGE OF CHENNAI SLOOOW AS EVER WHEN IT COMES TO EVERYTHEN COMPARITIVELY TO DELHI,MUMBAI OR EVEN BANGALORE.WHY CANT WE BE THE BEST IN INDIA FOR DEVELOPMENT AND MORDERNISATION.
Mr Adams seems to think that these things coming to Chennai is some sort of improvement!!!!!
The rest of the world is now realising what these diets are doing to it.
Chennai conservative? Perhaps sensible is a better word.
ITS ALL A PART OF BEING A GLOBAL CITY WHERE WE CAN HAVE THE BEST OF SOUTH INDIAN CUSINE WITH SARAVANA BHAVAN,SANGEETHA ON ONE END AND ON THE OTHER END HAVE THE WORLDS GREAT FOOD MAJORS LIKE KFC,MCDONALDS,SUBWAY,TGIF ETC ALL CO EXSISTING PROVIDING THAT MUCH MORE VARIETY,DIVERSITY TO ONE AND ALL.INORDER TO BE A TRUELY GLOBAL CITY.WE MUST EMBRASE THE BEST FROM THE WEST AND EAST.HAVING MCDONALDS AND KFC IN CHENNAI INCREASES THE VIBRANCY AND OFFERS ITS CITIZENS,TOURISTS AND BUSINESS TRAVELLERS ALIKE A WIDER SPECTRUM OF CHOICE WHEN IT COMES TO DINING OUT.THIS IN TURN PROVIDES A BETTER LIFESTYLE FOR ALL .WE NEEDED NOT HAVE TO GO EVEN TO BANGALORE OR LEAVE ALONE ABROAD TO GET A TASTE OF SOME OF THE WEST’S BEST.IMPROVING ONES LIFESTYLE IS THE MAIN REASON WHY ANYONE WOULD LIKE THEIR OWN CITY,IN OUR CASE OUR BELOVED CHENNAI,TO DEVELOP AND ENCOMPASS THE WORLDS BEST ALL PRESENT RITE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.