McDonald's Goes Vegetarian in India
Posted on October 16, 2009
Bloomberg has a very interesting article about how McDonald's is making inroads into the Indian markets. The majority of the country is Hindu, so that means no beef. A substantial minority is Muslim, so that means no pork.
So what exactly do you order at a McDonald's there? Why a McAloo Tikki, a McVeggie sandwich (pictured above) or a Pizza McPuff, of course. Burgers are strictly vegetarian, and are made from mashed potatoes, peas and spices. The cooking of vegetarian items is done in a separate kitchen, and no onions are garlic is used to satisfy one subgroup which eschews root vegetables. Cleanliness is also key to keeping the locals happy.
Vikram Bakshi, managing director of McDonald's India, told Bloomberg, "It really doesn't make sense to sell beef in a country where 85 percent of the population doesn't eat it or will even shun a restaurant where beef is served. About 70 percent of the menu in Indian outlets doesn't exist anywhere else in the world."
Bakshi has a good point. So why don't we get a McAloo Tikki or other vegetarian items here in the states? Maybe it's just the great names getting to us, but we think they'd be a hit.
Here's a video about the McVeggie Burger in India.