Girls of St Xavier’s make a beeline for the counter, while boys (above) chill out. Pictures by Prashant Mitra

Students of St Xavier’s College, Ranchi, just got a new hang out zone not only for banter gangs and geeks but also those experiencing hunger pangs.

Hot ‘n’ Cold, The Coffee Shop was inaugurated on February 28.

Feast on: Spread over 2,000 sqft, the new canteen has a seating capacity of 80-100. Contemporary paintings adorn its walls and friends’ company makes the choice of finger-licking food even more delicious. There are CCTV cameras installed at corners. Also on offer, spacious red couches to relax in

Timing: 7.30am to 6pm

Pocket pinch: Rs 6 to Rs 50

Brainchild: City-based businessman Ashish Modi with wife Mamta and son Arnav, a chartered accountant, came up with the idea to provide snacks, beverages, bakery items and even lunch at reasonable rates in a clean and pleasant ambience

Cool quotient: Be it waiting in-between lectures, celebrating friends’ birthdays or wrapping up projects and assignments, the vibrant canteen is the coolest chillout zone for youngsters

Studentspeak: “It is one of the most sought-after hangouts with a cool ambience as compared to our old canteen, which was dingy,” said Akansha Priyam, a third-year Functional English student while enjoying a cheese sandwich with her friends.

“We have more choices than before. We are savouring nachos, biryani, veg and non-veg sandwiches, variety of parathas and soups. It’s really cool. In our old canteen, we just got samosas and a few fries. We used to avoid eating there and instead had to depend on our lunch boxes,” said Sweta Nair, another student of the same discipline.

“Burgers, pizzas, brownies, shakes, ice tea and fresh bean coffee at such a reasonable rates will not be available anywhere else,” said Harleen Kaur, a batchmate

Ownerspeak: “All credit goes to my son, who came up with the idea. Besides relishing the food, students can also relax and revise their syllabus as we have provided enough space for them,” said Ashish Modi, the proprietor of the canteen.

“While I was pursuing my education in Mumbai, I saw that the canteens were one of the best hangout places. I wanted the students of my city to have such a place, too. So I suggested to my parents to come up with something like this,” he said, adding that they are looking forward to open such canteens in other colleges too

Different take: The decades-old canteen of the cradle, however, is still a favourite hotspot for many.

“I love visiting the old canteen as we go back a long way. We connect with the staff there. It’s a home-like environment in our old canteen as compared to new one,” said Shivani Singh, a second-year student of mass communication