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McDonald's opens vegetarian-only restaurant (in India)

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C

caramac

Member
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19479013

The standard-bearer of the hamburger, McDonald's, is bowing to local demand and is opening a meat-free restaurant in India.

The global chain, whose best-known product is the Big Mac burger in a bun, says it will be its first vegetarian outlet.

McDonald's, the world's second biggest food outlet after Subway, increasingly adapts its range to local demand.

Both India's Hindu majority and Muslims can eat the same meat-free dishes.

Religiously observant Hindus see cows as sacred and avoid beef, while Muslims view pigs as unclean and avoid pork.

According to the AFP news agency, McDonald's will open the outlet in the middle of next year, near the Golden Temple in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in northern India.

Religious authorities forbid consumption of meat at the shrine.

A spokesman for McDonald's in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, told the news agency: "There is a big opportunity for vegetarian restaurants as many Indians are vegetarian.

"At the moment, India is still a very small market - we just have 271 restaurants in India, and across the world, we have nearly 33,000."

The chain plans to open another vegetarian outlet in north-western India, near the Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Kashmir, which is a Hindu pilgrimage site that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

McDonald's has moved to provide more salads and other healthier foods with less sugar, salt and fat in them, in response to public concerns about diet.

In India, its menu is typically 50% vegetarian.

Its signature dish in the country is the McAloo Tikki burger, which uses a spiced potato-based filling. It accounts for 25% of total sales.

Globally, the company plans to open around 1,300 new stores this year.
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R

Rich!

Member
The biggest news for me is that Subway have overtaken them. Holy shit, when did that happen?

Explains a lot about their recent activities and restructures here in the UK at least.
 
R

rezuth

Member
How the fuck can Subway be the biggest one? Such a subpar product that's neither good tasting or cheap.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
That's pretty nice of them.
I probably would try out the local vegetarian food first if I went to India though, and then the McDonald's when said food makes me sick.

rezuth said:
How the fuck can Subway be the biggest one? Such a subpar product that's neither good tasting or cheap.
Click to expand...

Number of restaurants.
 
G

gutshot

Member
300_131185.jpg


It's like a hash brown on a bun.
 
V

V_Arnold

Member
I am not sure how much healthier this is (basically lose the hamburger bread parts, and maybe, maybe it is good enough), compared to standard McDonalds food, but anyway, it is good to see progress even in this front.
 
ReBurn

ReBurn

Gold Member
rezuth said:
How the fuck can Subway be the biggest one? Such a subpar product that's neither good tasting or cheap.
Click to expand...

McDonald's isn't exactly either of those things, at least not any more. Subway cheaper than McDonald's around here. A Big Mac combo would set me back nearly $7 whereas I can get a Subway cold cut combo sub with Baked Lays and a drink for less than $6. And I tend to feel better after eating at Subway, even if it isn't the premium.
 
R

Rich!

Member
rezuth said:
How the fuck can Subway be the biggest one? Such a subpar product that's neither good tasting or cheap.
Click to expand...

I can open my own subway within a couple of months.

I would never have my own McDonald's.


Subway is a franchise that's incredibly cheap and easy for any developer or property owner to buy into.
 
S

sphinx

the piano man
the burger looks awfully small, I'd need like 3 of them to feel satisfied.

but eating 3 buns and 3 hashbrown-like patties.. ugh, no thanks.

but nice of them to think about the vegetarian market
 
Sub_Level

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
If McDonalds can add some grilled fish to their menu and add fried vegetables as substitutes for sides, I think that will be a good step in the right direction.
 
O

Oersted

Member
rezuth said:
How the fuck can Subway be the biggest one? Such a subpar product that's neither good tasting or cheap.
Click to expand...

More franchise takers. Even though subway seems to threat them very bad. I know some people who tried it. Subway pretty fast managed to be a pain in the ass.

McDonalds is bigger in moneyterms.
 
Z

zephervack

Member
While we are on this subject, I absolutely hate that there is no choice in the fast food business when you want to eat healthy while out, yeah I know about Subway but that is not choice, its just one, I wish I could eat out in a hurry at healthy places with drive through, etc.

Its specially infuriating when you have kids, if I forget to pack my daughter food im screwed, since I wont feed her Mcdonalds.
 
G

.GqueB.

Banned
zephervack said:
While we are on this subject, I absolutely hate that there is no choice in the fast food business when you want to eat healthy while out, yeah I know about Subway but that is not choice, its just one, I wish I could eat out in a hurry at healthy places with drive through, etc.

Its specially infuriating when you have kids, if I forget to pack my daughter food im screwed, since I wont feed her Mcdonalds.
Click to expand...

Very true. I live in NYC so it's relatively easy to find decent food at any time of night but when I travel I find myself helpless. It really is challenging.
 
B

BattleMonkey

Member
Most fast food places have healthy options, but they are often limited or just not good at all. Expanded healthy options would help but the concept of healthy and making it cheap n fast kind of don't go together well.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
BattleMonkey said:
Most fast food places have healthy options, but they are often limited or just not good at all. Expanded healthy options would help but the concept of healthy and making it cheap n fast kind of don't go together well.
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You could probably ask them to skip the bread and throw the burger into a lettuce wrap instead.
Low-carb, high-protein.
 
Z

zephervack

Member
SquiddyBiscuit said:
You could probably ask them to skip the bread and throw the burger into a lettuce wrap instead.
Low-carb, high-protein.
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Well you would think so, but seriously the stuff doesnt even look like real meat, I opened a chicken nugget in half the last time I went to Mcdonalds and it looked like toothpaste.

Later that month I bought some chicken nuggets at my local grocery store and when you split those open they actually have the meat's fibers and stuff.
 
F

fredrancour

Member
zephervack said:
Well you would think so, but seriously the stuff doesnt even look like real meat, I opened a chicken nugget in half the last time I went to Mcdonalds and it looked like toothpaste.

Later that month I bought some chicken nuggets at my local grocery store and when you split those open they actually have the meat's fibers and stuff.
Click to expand...

Reclaimed meat. Looks like that because of how they get it off the animal.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
zephervack said:
Well you would think so, but seriously the stuff doesnt even look like real meat, I opened a chicken nugget in half the last time I went to Mcdonalds and it looked like toothpaste.

Later that month I bought some chicken nuggets at my local grocery store and when you split those open they actually have the meat's fibers and stuff.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am fortunately a vegetarian so the worst I can look foward to in my fast food is just a boring bean-type vegetarian patty.
 
B

beje

Banned
Nibel said:
Is there a vegetarian-only fast food chain?
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I've heard about some small ones. One of them has a couple of restaurants in Madrid and is based on falafel sandwiches (where you can chose the rest of the ingredients and dressing) and salads but I cannot remember its name.
 
S

SnakeswithLasers

Member
zephervack said:
While we are on this subject, I absolutely hate that there is no choice in the fast food business when you want to eat healthy while out, yeah I know about Subway but that is not choice, its just one, I wish I could eat out in a hurry at healthy places with drive through, etc.

Its specially infuriating when you have kids, if I forget to pack my daughter food im screwed, since I wont feed her Mcdonalds.
Click to expand...

Subway isn't 'healthy' anyway.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
gutshot said:
300_131185.jpg


It's like a hash brown on a bun.
Click to expand...

Man, Aloo Tikki is so hard to find around here. Only a buffet place has it :(

I don't know if it's standard, but they make theirs so it's a little creamy. Soooo good with curry sauce on top.
 
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