Hinduism and McDonalds
This cow
can sleep
easy!
• McDonald's in India is a
locally owned and
managed company run
by Indians, employing
local staff, procures from
local suppliers to serve its
customers. McDonald's
India opened its first
family restaurant at
Basant Lok in Oct, 1996;
today it has 132
Restaurants across India
How would you describe the Indian owners of a McDonalds?
• McDonald’s has
developed a menu
especially for India with
vegetarian selections to
suit Indian tastes and
cultural / religious
preferences.
• McDonald's does not
offer any beef or pork
items in India.
• In the last decade it has
introduced some
vegetarian and nonvegetarian products with
local flavors that have
appealed to the Indian
palate.
• Only pure vegetarian oil is
used as a cooking medium.
• Cheese and sauces are
completely vegetarian and
egg less.
• Separation of vegetarian
and non-vegetarian food
products is maintained
throughout the various
stages of procurement,
cooking and serving.
• McAloo Tikki™
Potatoes (aloo in
Hindi) are a
popular filling
food item in India.
McDonald's in
India's McAloo
Tikki ™ sandwich
includes a patty
made out of
potatoes, peas,
and spices. It also
includes tomato
slices, onions,
and vegetarian
mayonnaise.
75% of the
McDonald's
menu in India is
Indianised. In
2001,
McDonald's
also introduced
the Veg
Surprise burger,
a veggie burger
with Indian
spices. Not
surprisingly,
sales volume
shot up 40%.
• Enter the
'Maharaja
Mac'. A 100%
ground lamb
burger served
with lettuce,
tomatoes,
special sauce,
cheese, onion
and pickles on
a sesame
bun.
Who are the owners?
McDonald's in India is a JointVenture (JV) partnership run by
Indians. Connaught Plaza
Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. managed
by Mr. Vikram Bakshi in the
Northern & Eastern region and
another with Hard Castle
Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. managed
by Mr. Amit Jatia in the Western
& Southern Region.
•
•
•
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How would you
describe these
men?
Liberal,
moderate or
Fundamental?
Capitalists?
Supporters of
Westernisation
of India?
What worldview
would they be
most influenced
by?
Indian political activists
are always eager to
protest again so-called
"cultural imperialism".
And foreign-based fast
food chains are easy
targets.
India is the only country
in the world where
McDonald's does not
offer beef. With 140m
Indian Muslims, pork is
off the menu, too
What is the relationship between the liberal Hindu
owners and fundamentalist Hindu groups?
Read article in Society and
Culture text
There are other
examples of MNC’s
trying to influence
hindu society…
• After an ambitious start in the late 1990s, KFC scaled back its
expansion plans after major protests. KFC was also accused
of using illegally high amounts of MSG and frying its chicken
in pork fat (India's 150 million Muslims don't eat pork). Activist
groups protested outside the restaurant in Bangalore, holding
placards reading "Quit India" and "Stop Playing Foul". KFC
now has less than 20 restaurants in India.
The End