Written By: AFP
Published in: Sydney Morning Herald
Dated: 5 September, 2012
US fast food giant McDonald’s, famed for its beef-based Big Mac burgers, says it will open its first ever vegetarian-only restaurant in the world in India next year.
The world’s second-biggest restaurant chain after Subway already tailors its menus to suit local tastes – which in India means no beef to avoid offending Hindus and no pork to cater for Muslim requirements.
It will open its first vegetarian outlet in the middle of next year near the Golden Temple in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in northern India, where religious authorities forbid consumption of meat at the shrine.
“It will be the first time we have opened a vegetarian restaurant in the world,” a spokesman for McDonald’s in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, said.
After the opening in Amritsar, the US chain plans to launch another vegetarian outlet at Katra near the Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Indian Kashmir – a revered Hindu pilgrimage site that draws hundreds of thousands of worshippers a year.
It sees the potential for many more vegetarian restaurants across the country.
McDonald’s in India already has a menu that is 50 per cent vegetarian.
Its McAloo Tikki burger at 28 rupees or US50 cents (49 cents) – which uses a spicy fried potato-based patty – is the top seller, accounting for a quarter of total sales.
Among the chicken-only meat offerings, the Maharaja Mac is also a favourite.
Currently India, with its population of 1.2 billion, is still a “very small market for McDonald’s”, said Maini.
“We have just 271 restaurants in India and across the world we have nearly 33,000,” Maini said.
The chain serves half a million customers a day in India, out of 50 million people it serves daily in over 100 countries.
“When you look at the potential of the country, it’s one of the top priority countries and we’re laying the groundwork for capturing the market,” said Maini.
“We plan to nearly double the number of outlets to 500 plus within the next three years,” he said.
McDonald’s realised soon after it entered the country that it had to rework its international menu to Indian tastes.
“The reasons were very compelling – cow slaughter is not allowed because of religious reasons and we couldn’t do pork either,” Maini explained.
Hindus, who account for 80 per cent of India’s population, regard cows as sacred. For Muslims, the consumption of pork is prohibited in the Koran.
McDonald’s is not alone in “Indianising” its offerings. Domino’s Pizza, another leading fast food chain in India, has created pizzas with extra spicy toppings.
But growing consumption of food high in fat is spurring concern that India is importing the Western disease of obesity, creating a ticking public health timebomb.
Tagged: mc donalds, news article, Sydney Morning Herald, vegetarian
Rhianna is an environmental scientist living in Northern NSW, Australia. She is passionate about food security, sustainability and ethics. 
For a short time McDonald’s offered a veggie burger and I was thrilled! Apparently there weren’t that many people who supported the idea, though, and it disappeared. I find it very sad to hear that other countries are adopting our western diet and are on their way to new health challenges! I often wonder what it’s going to take to reverse some of our very bad habits. I really don’t see many positive shifts despite all the evidence!
When I was in Indonesia (Bali) 15 years ago, I was totally blown away that a McDonalds was right in the middle of town with KFC right next door. Of course, the McDonalds sold local type cuisines, and all meals came with a bowl of rice, but you could still get a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder.
It is unfortunate that we have grown lazy. There are so many demands on our time that growing our own foods / cooking are a thing of the past. In its stead, we have the convenience and economy of fast food. Apparently to most people, $ + speed > quality + health. And that is one of the founding principals of this blog – think about the real cost of your food! The cost born by the environment, by society and by your health.
We choose to eat healthy. We choose to eat produce that is tasty and organic. It does cost us more, but we are healthier for it. I had my first cold this year in five years and it only lasted two days. I believe that general good health is because we are conscious consumers.
cheers, Debra. Good to hear from you =)