社区食堂“火”了！年轻人和老年人成为“饭搭子”
No matter what your age, who can resist a tasty, low-priced meal?

At noon, the Tongxin Cafeteria near the Jing'an Temple downtown has a queue that exemplifies its multi-generational popularity.

The menu, with over 60 dishes rotated daily, caters to a spectrum of tastes.

"Compared with food ordered for lunch online, this place is much better," said Chen Luo, an accountant from a nearby office building.

Chen, who lives alone, formerly depended heavily on delivered meals ordered online until her parents raised concerns about the nutritional value and what they called "stale ingredients."

Cooking for herself is too time-consuming, she said.

"I used to spend two hours cooking and washing dishes, only to eat for 10 minutes," Chen said.

The nearby community canteen is a perfect solution.

These cafeterias, once known as "senior canteens," were originally established to provide healthy meals at affordable prices to older folks who might not be getting enough nutrition at home. From 2019 to 2021, the Shanghai government set a goal of building 200 new community canteens, bringing the total at the end of last year to 1,608.

A basic meal with one meat dish and two vegetables costs less than 20 yuan (US$2.70), far cheaper than prices in mainstream downtown restaurants. And all meals are prepared on site with fresh ingredients.

The government supports these cafeterias – sometimes with rent-free space; sometimes with reduced water and electricity charges.

Li Jiajun, the manager of a local community canteen, said the prices of the dishes are 20 percent lower than prevailing market rates because of the government assistance.

His canteen prioritizes elderly diners from 10:30-11:30am and 4:30-5:30pm. Apart from those hours, people of all ages are welcome.

Li said cafeteria managers are required to maintain detailed records, including 48-hour food samples and daily uploads to food safety platforms. This approach ensures the traceability of all ingredients.

Some community cafeterias have become so popular that they appear on WeChat and other lifestyle sharing platforms.

At the community canteen in the Youyi Road Subdistrict in Baoshan, diners can use their smartphones to choose dishes and pay their bills. The cost is based on the weight of the food to avoid waste.

In the Community AI Canteen in the Hongqiao Subdistrict, Shanghai's first staff-free community canteen uses robots to cook and serve meals, while an artificial intelligence system offers diet advice. The site serves about 300 customers a day.

The West Bund community canteen, located in a core area on the west bank of the Huangpu River, serves over 1,000 people daily, with weekends reaching up to 3,000 customers.

Perched amid the riverside scenery, the site opened in July. Patrons include local residents, tourists, joggers and delivery staff, said the director Xia Rui.

Li, a delivery rider who frequently dines at the community cafeteria, volunteers to deliver meals to vulnerable people in the community.

"I've always enjoyed the public services provided by the community, so I thought I would show my gratitude and give something back," Li said.

"We are pleased to have younger people dining here," said a 90-year-old patron surnamed Qu. "They give an 'elderly canteen' a feeling of youthful vigor."