When Burger King BKW +0.41% brings its crown to India next month, diners will be the first in the world to bite into a new version of its signature Whopper sandwich: a beef-free one.
The world’s second-largest burger chain, behind McDonald’s MCD +0.14%, has dropped beef and pork from its menu in India, keeping in mind religious practices of Hindus and Muslims who make for most of the country’s population.
“GREAT NEWS — The WHOPPER IS COMING SOON TO INDIA!” Burger King India’s official Facebook page announced late Wednesday. Minutes later, though, another post followed. “We do not have beef on our menu but our options will certainly delight you.”
So what’s being served on Burger King’s Indian menu? A Chicken Whopper. A Mutton Whopper. And a Vegetable Whopper.
The news didn’t go down too well with at least a few of India’s younger fast-food lovers, whose changing tastes have whipped up a market for restaurants serving beef and bacon.
“Whopper as chicken is unacceptable,” one Facebook user wrote. “That sir is not a Whopper. It looks more like a chicken sandwich trying to be cool,” another posted below a picture of Burger King’s beef-free inventions. “No beef in the menu. Seems like another sad imitation of a global franchise,” a third user posted.
Miami-based Burger King seemed unfazed by the criticism and instead sought to teach its newest customers how to correctly pronounce its flagship hamburger. (“Whaw-per” in case you’re wondering.)
It is unclear when, or how many outlets, the U.S. fast-food chain plans to open in India. Burger King declined to comment ahead of the launch.
Local media reports say the company plans to open at least 12 outlets over next three months in cities including Bangalore, Pune and Chennai. A first outlet is due in New Delhi, according to Burger King’s Indian partner, Everstone Capital Advisors. But an Everstone spokeswoman chose to remain tight-lipped about the exact location.
A photo of a neon-lit Burger King restaurant circulated online late Wednesday, along with rumors that a first store would appear in the capital city’s Select City Walk Mall. Another rumored location doing the rounds online is Connaught Place, a colonial-era marketplace in the heart of New Delhi, where Dunkin Brands Inc. and Starbucks Corp.SBUX -0.66% opened stores in 2012.
Burger King comes to India a few months after Fatburger Inc. and nearly two decades after its arch-rival McDonalds, which offers the McAloo Tikki burger (a potato-burger, basically), as well as the Maharaja Mac, its beef-free take on the Big Mac. Last year, McDonalds opened a vegetarian-only outlet in northern India — a world-wide first — in an attempt to cater to the country’s vast vegetarian population. Fast-food chains like Dominos and Subway have also tailored their menu to serve spicier, and plenty of vegetarian, options.
India’s burgeoning fast-food market — home to 299 KFCs, more than 300 Pizza Hut outlets and four Taco Bells — is expected to grow to $78 billion by 2018, according to Technopak Advisors. The Gurgaon-based market-research firm values the current market at $48 billion.
The Asia Pacific region is Burger King’s smallest market, with approximately 1,100 restaurants. The U.S. and Canada continue to remain its largest, with more than 7,400 restaurants out its 13,667 globally.
via Burger King Brings Beef-Free Whoppers to India – India Real Time – WSJ.
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