English: The chalked A-Board reads:

"Hello Tottenham. Open today - 11pm. Come on in."

Perhaps it should read: At a time of brutal public service cuts to vital services, Chicken Town restaurant got £300,000 in public subsidy - a £90,000 grant and a £210,000 soft loan. Plus loads of free Haringey Council publicity.

On the other hand . . .

The Chicken Town website gives some information and sample menus. It also explains about the subsidy for "healthier" chicken . . . "without the unhealthy downsides".

  "Here at Chicken Town we love fried chicken, but we do it a little bit differently, and a lot better. We use happy herb-fed chickens which we gently steam before flash-frying in rapeseed oil, for a delicious, healthier treat. We use fresh seasonal produce for an ever-changing, adventurous menu. You can sit down at Chicken Town, take your time and have a beer with your meal. On top of all this good stuff, we are a social enterprise looking to improve things for young people in our area.That's why we're here – to do it differently, to do the good stuff without the unhealthy downsides and to share it with everyone."

Junior Special   "Chicken Town does a delicious chicken dinner, but there's more to it than that, lots more. We're non-profit, so when you come and eat with us we use the profits from your dinner to offer our Junior Special to under 18s in the daytime for just £2. Kids love fried chicken and for lots of them it's a daily ritual. The standard stuff is deep fried battery chicken, packed with saturated fats, salt and lacking nutritional value.   "Our £2 Junior Special box is designed with top chefs and is tested by food scientists and nutritionists to ensure it's within strict guidelines on RDAs of salt, sugar and fat. It contains our brilliant trademark steamed and flash-fried chicken, and sides like baked sweet potato wedges, fresh coleslaw and a side salad. For us, tackling obesity isn't about taking choice away. It's about improving what's on offer and making it affordable and delicious!" _________________________

§ RDA - - Recommended Dietary Allowances. § On 7 December 2015 the Mayor of London/Greater London Assembly website advertised Chicken Town under heading: How a chicken shop became a Tottenham ‘superhero’. Explaining that "By night, Chicken Town is a ‘proper’ restaurant. It serves the kind of tasty chicken and side dishes that have proved so popular elsewhere in London. By day, it battles childhood obesity."

§ The Create/Chicken Town website sets out their arguments for the project. As do several newspaper articles. For example [Felicity Cloake. § Free publicity published by Haringey Council also gives entirely one-sided arguments for the project.

These arguments may not be untrue either in whole or in part. But what firm evidence is available?