“India is not for starters”, goes an adage. Several international consumer brands and retailers have not just adapted to the Indian requirements, but have also “Indianised” their offering.
Form offering societally accepted gowns and dresses offered by the likes of H&M or Zara, to the Indian flavored toppings on pizzas, fillings inside burgers and so on, the verdict is clear – Be Indian when retailing in India!
Several years after Cafe Coffee Day opened a pure-vegetarian menu outlet at one of India’s most visited pilgrimage shrines – Vaishno Devi Mata Temple in the sacred Himalayas, several other national brands have taken this route.
The latest one is American fast-food chain McDonalds. The restaurant brand is now offering a pure-veg experience at its newest store at Katra, in Jammu.
Katra town is the final rail-head and the bus terminus where public transport ends to one of the most popular shrines in the Himalayas.
Thereafter, a little up ahead is the vast car-parking zone. Around 9.48 mn people visited the shrine in 2024.
Devotees undertake a long and winding trek which could take 3 hours – 6 hours to reach the shrine. While helicopters fly from Katra upwards towards the shrine, the devotees have to still take a 30-45 min walk to the temple.
The 100% vegetarian McDonald’s outlet has come up at the Shri Vaishnodevi Food Court, opposite Katra Railway Station.
The outlet is designed to make customer experience effortless, with self ordering kiosks, table service, and the comfort of McDonald’s favourites.
Recently, McDonald’s Cannaught Place Restaurants, the master franchisee for North and Eastern India announced Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as Brand Ambassador.
To celebrate this exciting new partnership, McD launched The Ranveer Singh Meal– a bold, flavour-packed combo featuring all-time favourites, McVeggie and McChicken, with a delicious twist of creamy and chilli Xplode Sauce, topped with golden crispy onions.
It comes with the all-new Golden Crispy Pop- bite-sized potato pops perfect for munching, and the limited-edition Bobaaa Blast- a fizzy drink with poppy boba pearls, making its debut with this meal.
Editor’s Note
The fast food F&B market in India is estimated to be INR 2,31 lakh Cr (USD 27 Bn). McDonald’s in India is operated by two master franchises across West & South and North and Eastern India as geographical splits respectively.
Hard Castle restaurants recorded annual revenues of INR 2,515 Cr for FY 24-25, while Cannaught Place Restaurants reported annual revenues of INR 1,450 Cr for FY 24.
Globally, McDonald’s reported USD 25.92 Bn in revenues for CY (FY) 24, with a Net Income of USD 8 Bn. India remains one of the smallest, yet fastest growing market for the world’s largest fastfood QSR chain.