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American fast food chain, Burger King, will expand its Indian presence in phases. In the first phase, Burger King India will open 12 outlets this year, largely in Delhi and Mumbai.
Rajeev Varman , CEO , Burger King India told BusinessLine , “Our game plan will be to open 12 restaurants within the next 60-90 days, and then we are going to pause. We will study the response to our restaurants, the economics of these outlets, response to our products, suppliers and delivery processes.”
He added that India is important for Burger King, and has potential to become one of the biggest markets in the Asia-Pacific region in the long term.
Even before Burger King India opened its first restaurant in Delhi on Sunday, it had garnered about 1,200 pre-orders for its “whoppers” through eBay India. In fact, it has worked out a menu that has been developed to cater the Indian consumers.
Varman said that the company has not “Indianised” the menu but has built the menu from scratch after extensive consumer studies across the country. The Indian team researched over 5,000 consumers across eight cities before finalising the menu.
“We looked at what customers want and the new concepts they are looking for. We then built the products from scratch, so all the products that you see here are very Indian,” he said.
New menuThe company has introduced vegetarian, chicken and mutton whopper burgers, besides offering multiple vegetarian options.
The company’s Cravers menu starts from ₹25, while its burgers start from ₹35. Varman said, “Our prices are very competitive. Indian consumers are looking for value and our studies indicate they are looking for wholesome meals and are ready to pay more for wholesome meals.”
Depending on the location, a Burger King outlet will need investments between ₹1.75-2.5 crore. Varman said he expects individual restaurants to see good gross margins soon.
Asked if the company will look at home delivery, Varman said that its future plans — such as drive-thru, online buying and home delivery — will be worked upon after it opens its first 12 outlets.
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