Twenty-five years after launch in India, QSR chain builds on omni-channel strategy and digital for future growth
During the last quarter, Hardcastle Restaurants, the master franchisee of McDonald's restaurants in west and south India, opened eight outlets, taking the total number to 316 across 44 cities
Image: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images
When Amit Jatia, vice chairman of Westlife Development Ltd, opened the first franchise of McDonald’s, in Mumbai’s Bandra, on October 21, 1996, the QSR (quick service restaurant) ecosystem in the country was undercooked. Neither the supply chain nor quality processing existed, and most of the agricultural produce was for home consumption. “Like Maruti helped build the entire ecosystem for the automotive industry, we helped kickstart the QSR ecosystem,” says Jatia, whose company owns Hardcastle Restaurants, the master franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants in west and south India.
As it completes its 25-year journey in India, the company has held on strong, recording its highest ever revenue of Rs 476.83 crore in the quarter ending December 2021, a year-on-year jump of 46 percent. It also clocked an Ebitda of Rs 83.62 crore, with a year-on-year rise of 61 percent, and an all-time high PAT (profit after tax) of Rs 20.82 crore. During the period, McDonald’s opened eight new outlets, taking the total to 316 across 44 cities.