Shilpa Shetty’s newly launched restaurant Ammakai became the center of attention on January 26 when it announced offering free breakfast, leading to long queues and sparking a lively debate on social media on the free culture. As part of the first-come, first-served initiative, people started lining up as early as 7am, with videos of the crowd going viral and netizens questioning the growing obsession with anything available for free.

Ammakai, co-owned by Shilpa Shetty and based in Bandra, offered free breakfast in celebration of Republic Day. The response was massive, with people waiting for hours outside the restaurant even before it opened. Many content creators shared clips of long queues, showing people standing patiently to get free plates of food.

As the video circulated online, reactions were sharply divided. While some applauded the restaurant’s move, others criticized it, calling it people’s “freebie mentality”, especially after claims that many people in the queue appeared to be financially affluent and lived in expensive flats.

One user wrote, “If people living in flats worth Rs 3 crore sacrifice their self-respect for a plate of free food, then the problem is deeper than government freebies. There’s demand and there’s supply, and by lining up we prove why free culture thrives. (If people living in Rs 3 crore flats put aside their self-respect for a plate of free food, then the problem runs deeper than government freebies. Supply depends on demand, and the queues we form prove why the culture of freebies thrives).”

Another user commented, “Of course we are equally responsible for this mess.. The government is beyond the people. (Not just the government but also the people).”

Sharing a similar scene, a third user wrote, “Yes, just found out about it, but today college going kids also have good pocket money.. the problem is that mentality of free to loot.”

The discussion continued even after the deal was offered by the restaurant, with many users debating whether the issue was with the offer itself or with people’s mentality towards free stuff. While some believed that no one should be judged for taking advantage of the free food, others argued that such scenes only encourage a culture of handouts.

Ammakai by Bastian is a South Indian restaurant in Mumbai, co-owned by Shilpa Shetty, and is known for its focus on Mangalorean flavours. The brand is positioned as a premium dining space and also offers a luxury rooftop experience at Kohinoor Square in Dadar, serving a mix of Asian, Californian and European cuisine.

Although the free breakfast was only for one day, the incident has sparked a wider conversation online about privilege, social behavior and the mindset around freebies in India.