I had been traveling through India for over a month when I came across a Subway franchise in a mall in New Delhi. After my long struggle with Indian cuisine, the idea of munching on a turkey sandwich brought a sigh of relief. I began to browse the menu behind the counter in anticipation. Eventually, I noticed that an advertisement to my left displaying new sandwiches had a large section removed from it. When I asked for an explanation, the Subway employee looked at me and smiled. “It was roast beef, sir. It was causing too many problems for the Hindus.”
As the Indian economy booms and foreign investment increases, Westerners are beginning to learn just how devoutly religious India’s Hindus are. For the American fast food industry, the sacredness of cows in particular has resulted in some major adaptations as they attempt to penetrate the Indian market.
McDonald’s, which now operates 56 restaurants in India, is one chain that has found itself compelled to transform their menu out of respect for Hindu law. When the company arrived in 1996, they had planned major changes for the Indian market. New items from the McAloo Tikki burger to the Paneer McWrap were introduced to cater to Indian palettes. The greatest adaptation made by McDonald’s, however, is its very first beef-free menu.
The transformation was extensive, with items like the iconic Big Mac removed from the menu. Its replacement, the Maharaja Burger, would maintain the double decker appearance of the Big Mac with a twist—it was made of mutton.
McDonald’s appeared prepared for this market. But after several years of success, accusations emerged that the chain was cooking with beef tallow. Right-wing Hindu groups began protesting, and bad publicity spread. Crowded lineups disappeared, despite signs in front of McDonald’s outlets stating that none of their Indian restaurants had used any beef or beef products. Since the debacle, McDonald’s has been extra careful. All stores maintain vegetarian and non-vegetarian cooking lines for burger cooking. They have even gone as far as to have vegetarian line staff wear different coloured aprons and shower before crossing to the vegetarian section.
While McDonald’s has been the most prominent fastfood chain in India, others have moved in as well. Subway has kept a keen eye as it tries to establish dominance in the Indian fast-food market, with a modified menu for Hindu law and the Indian palate. Many of the sandwiches that usually use beef or pork have been replaced with lamb, chicken, and turkey. Veggie sub options include Aloo Patty, Paneer Tikka, and Veggie Shammi.
Pizza Hut has also found itself changing direction since its arrival in 1996. With a focus on vegetarian pizzas, as many of India’s Hindus are also vegetarian, chicken tikka and lamb korma were introduced as toppings, with beef omitted as an option. The chain now operates in most of India’s major cities.
Despite fast food’s recent growth in popularity, the Indian market remains relatively fragmented, with few sizable national chains. Nevertheless, all of the major Western fast food companies operating in India see a bright light at the end of the tunnel. By 2005, the major players saw sales well in excess of $1 billion, and the numbers continue to rise. While only a minority of Indians can afford the luxury of fast food, the country’s middle class is growing. With increased foreign investment, more and more Indians are earning enough to spend on Western indulgences, especially young adults with disposable income. However, it remains to be seen whether religion will force the West to change more for India than India has to change for the West
