McDonald’s Targets Major Expansion of 500 Outlets by 2022
McDonald’s India has been serving quality food to their customers since it first entered India 22 years ago in 1996. Whipping up burgers both traditionally tuned to suit Indian palates, such as McAloo Tikki and Dosa Masala Brioche, as well as classics such as the Fillet-o-Fish burger, McDonald’s has come a long way in establishing itself as a prominent restaurant chain in India. While it entered India with a stellar reputation, many doubted the burger stalwarts’ chances in persuading the uniquely attuned tastebuds of Indians. You see, a vast majority of Indians are non-vegetarian, and even those that are usually do not consume anything other than eggs and poultry meat. Hence, McDonald’s had to tip the odds in their favour by not only dropping their signature Big Mac, but also improvising their menu items.
Today, McDonald’s South and West recorded a total sales growth of 35%, and that has led Vice Chairman of Westlife Development Ltd., Amit Jatia to set his plans for expansion of the franchise in motion. A recent interview conducted by DNA India, Mr. Jatia discussed the QSR (Quick Serving Restaurants) market scenario and challenges faced, and the management approach adopted by the company to overcome these challenges. Notably, the price hike of crude oil and cooking oil
Last quarter, despite rising inflation rates, McDonald’s and Westlife Development Ltd enjoyed a good phase, which led to further development plans. The company has adopted a robust cost rationalization plan, which has worked wonders and delivered solid results. The March quarter experienced a sudden spurt when same store sales growth grew 25.1% to effectively doubling the revenue at Rs.28 crore.
Amit Jatia discussed his target of reaching 400—500 McDonald’s restaurants by the end of the fiscal year 2022. This will see a rise not just in the number of restaurants, but also in locations, as there have been plans to target new cities and towns in West and South India. Most recently, McDonald’s opened their first eatery at Pondicherry, in one of the most prominent malls in the town. Pondicherry welcomes a fair amount of tourists and travellers from across the globe, and it wouldn’t hurt for them to have access to some universally loved food from time to time. Rest assured McDonald’s expansions plans in West and South India will not solely be limited to the solitary branch in Pondicherry, but certain other towns with exciting prospects are also being considered.
Throughout their history, McDonald’s are known to make the most of every occasion, and believes in a proactive approach which involves their customers. Most recently, they launched a special plan to make the most of the ongoing FIFA Football World Cup 2018 held in Russia, by not only holding screenings for every match from the knockout stages, but also offering a number of attractive prizes for those who order a McSaver combo, and use their chicken-fuelled intuition and analytical prowess to determine the winner of any ongoing World Cup fixture being played out at the time.