Fast food industry on fast track, booms in India
Saturday, 05 February 2011, 13:57 IST
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Bangalore: Constantly experimenting with the tastes of consumers by mixing western and 'desi' menus, fast food industry has seen a rapid growth in last few years, thanks to high disposable incomes and greater exposure to multiple cuisines. A lot of Indians are travelling abroad experiencing changes in lifestyle and are keen on experimenting with food, say experts. "Our comparable sales in metros have been nearly 20 per cent in 2010 and as the fast food market continues to expand across the country and across various consumer segments, there is tremendous scope for expansion," says Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald's India (North & East), adding that they are targeting to open around 40 plus stores in the country soon. McDonald's made its India debut in 1996 with one outlet at Basant LoK in Delhi and at present, it has 211 restaurants of which 105 are in North & East India and 106 in West & South India. Apart from metros, McDonald's is fast reaching rural areas as well, as there are 14 outlets in Haryana, 11 in Punjab and 28 in Uttar Pradesh. "With ever increasing pool of working population, nuclear families and a progressive middle class, the demand for fast food already on the rise will see a tremendous growth in future also," says Ritu Chaudhri, VP Marketing, Nirula's. Nirula's has 80 outlets (company owned and franchised) in 7 cities across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab and are planning to open 70 more till 2012. The move to 'localise' the fast food tastes has paid rich dividends and increased brand loyal customer base for the companies. Pizza Hut is known to introduce Indianised version of pizzas to attract the local customer base. "We launched products like Karahi Paneer, Teekha Paneer and Karahi Chicken long time ago and it was a complete success. Soon, you will see more of such products," says Umesh Kumar, Manager, Pizza Hut, CP. Bakshi says the age old saying of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' holds the USP. "Keeping in view the strong liking of north Indians towards spicy stuff, we had to introduce in our menu dishes like McAloo Tikki Burger, Pizza McPuff, McVeggie," he says. To reposition itself as the preferred choice for young adults, Nirula's also launched its Desimania campaign.
Source: PTI
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