McDonald’s recently introduced Masala Grill, a range of grilled vegetarian and non-vegetarian products inspired by the kebabs of the province in Pakistan formerly called the Northwest Frontier Province. These products are wrapped in roasted chilli sauce, a specially-developed condiment, and are available both a la carte and in meal combos.
The range comprises two products, namely the Veg Masala Grill (priced at Rs 45), which is a blend of potatoes and a soya patty flavoured with aromatic spices, and the Chicken Masala Grill (priced at Rs 55), which comprises a chicken mince patty seasoned with Indian herbs and spices.
Speaking on the launch of the products, Vikram Bakshi, joint venture partner and managing director, McDonald’s India (North & East), said, “The Masala Grill range is the result of our commitment to introduce local flavours that connect with customers’ taste preference, but in the McDonald’s format of a burger.”
Masala Grill is the result of a three-year-long development programme to introduce products that have a universal appeal across all regions in India. In India, this is a challenge, as customers across the country have strong preference towards their local flavours.
“We are a mass brand with a limited menu. Hence, it is extremely important for us that the new product appeals to all the consumers. This is a critical consideration. We believe Masala Grill is one such product that would find great acceptance with Indian consumers,” Bakshi said.
He added, “Our menu innovation programme is an extensive and ustained exercise, in which we develop many products with a variety of flavours. Many formulations are rejected for not meeting our extensive parameters at various stages of development.”
With the launch of the Masala Grill range, McDonald’s has reinforced the message that it has adapted well to the Indian tastes and preferences. In fact, Indian offerings now account for about 70 per cent of the menu of the multi-national quick service restaurant (QSR) chain, which pioneered the glocal concept with the launch of McAloo Tikki.
The local variants complement the international flavours in the brand's three categories – namely Happy Price Menu, Mid-tier and Premium. The chain currently has 303 outlets across India (of which 148 are spread across the northern and eastern states of the country).
Of these, 52 outlets are in Delhi. Haryana has 21 outlets, of which Faridabad has four; Gurgaon has eleven; Manesar has two (the highway and drive-through outlets); Karnal has one (a highway and a drive-through outlet), and Ambala, Panipat and Sonipat also have one outlet each.
Uttar Pradesh has 34 outlets, of which Lucknow and Noida have six each, Greater Noida has one and Ghaziabad has eight. Gajraula and Mathura have one each (a highway and a drive-through outlet); Agra, Kanpur, Meerut and Varanasi have two each, and Allahabad, Bareilly and Khatauli have one each.
There are 29 outlets in Punjab, of which five are in Chandigarh, and three each in Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Zirakpur has two, Dasuya, Doraha and Patarsi have one each (a highway and a drive-through outlet), and Amritsar, Khanna and Patiala have one each.
There are eight outlets in Rajasthan, of which four are in Jaipur. Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota and Udaipur have one outlet each. Uttaranchal has two outlets – one each in Dehradun and Haridwar. Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have one outlet each, in Jammu and Jabli respectively. West Bengal has five outlets, of which Kolkata has four (the fifth is in Howrah), and Madhya Pradesh has two (one each in Gwalior and Bhopal).
