This Virugambakkam tea shop lets you buy a cuppa for a stranger

CHENNAI: At Anbe Vaa tea stall in Virugambakkam, customers can pay for a cup of tea or coffee without drinking it themselves. Instead, they leave a token on a board, allowing someone else to claim the cup for free. What makes the concept stand out is that the person paying may never know who eventually uses the token.

The idea is simple. Anyone who needs a cup can pick up a token and exchange it for tea or coffee, without having to explain why they need it. The stall, meanwhile, continues to serve its regular customers, with people dropping in for a cup of tea, coffee and conversation.

The idea was initiated by Saravanan’s friend Kameesh, who is involved in several social initiatives and regularly provides food to people in need. Saravanan recalls discussing the token system with him after hearing about the concept. The initiative was initially taken up for two months, but had to be paused in its third month due to a tight schedule. However, the idea eventually found its way back to the stall and has continued to draw people who want to contribute in small ways.

“The process is uncomplicated. A customer can sponsor a certain number of cups and have the corresponding tokens placed on the board. The stall keeps 10 sponsored tokens as a daily standard, with the tokens generally being placed when the shop opens in the morning,” says Saravanan.

The stall caters largely to everyday tea and coffee drinkers, while the token system has brought in another kind of customer, those who want to quietly buy a cup for someone else. Some call the number listed for the shop, pay for five, 10 or even more cups and have their names placed along with the tokens. Others simply walk in, buy a token for someone else and leave.

Saravanan says several people have also returned after having tea through the initiative to tell him how much they appreciated the idea. There have been challenges too. Some people were taking several tokens at once and using them over multiple days, creating a delay in ensuring that the tokens reached those who genuinely needed them. The team subsequently worked on the system, including considering a distribution of five tokens in the morning and five in the evening.

For Saravanan, however, the tea stall has never been solely about revenue. A film industry person who has worked with celebrities like GV Prakash, he says the initiative is something he does for his own satisfaction. “I run this tea stall for my satisfaction. This gesture is a small act of kindness. Even small things like this can make someone’s day a little easier,” he tells DT Next.

In a place where a Rs 20 cup of tea can easily be just another expense, a token lets one person quietly tell another: someone has already thought of you.