McDonald's to Open First Vegetarian-only Outlet in India

US fast food giant McDonald's will open its first vegetarian outlet in India, say sources.

The world's second-biggest restaurant chain after Subway tailors its menus to suit local tastes, which in India means no beef to avoid offending Hindus and no pork to cater for Muslim requirements.

Locog Bows to McDonalds� Demands, Bans Independent Food Outlets from Selling Chips at Olympics
The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) has been forced to ban the sale of chips by independent food outlets.

The first vegetarian outlet will open its doors mid-next year near the Golden Temple in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in northern India where religious authorities forbid consumption of meat at the shrine.

"It will be the first time we have opened a vegetarian restaurant," a spokesman for McDonald's in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, told AFP. "There is a big opportunity for vegetarian restaurants (in India) as many Indians are vegetarian."

After the opening in Amritsar, the US chain has plans to open another vegetarian outlet near the Vaishno Devi cave shrine in northwestern Indian Kashmir -- a revered Hindu pilgrimage site that draws hundreds of thousands of worshippers year.

Questioning McDonald's And Coke's Olympics Sponsorship Over Links to Obesity Epidemic
Recently the president of the International Olympic Committee admitted that there is a 'question mark' over the sponsorship of the Games by McDonald's and Coca-Cola.

McDonald's in India has a menu that is 50-percent vegetarian. Its McAloo Tikki burger -- which uses a spiced potato-based patty -- is the top seller, accounting for a quarter of total sales.

Among the chicken-only meat offerings, the Maharaja Mac is also a favourite.

Obesity Campaigners Point Out Irony Behind McDonald's Olympics Promotional Strategy
London Olympics has been attracting criticism for its choice of sponsors in recent weeks

"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," Maini said.

"But when you look at the potential of the country, it is one of the top priority countries and we are laying the groundwork for capturing the market." Hindus, who account for 80 percent of India's 1.2 billion population, regard cows as sacred. For Muslims, the consumption of pork is prohibited in the Koran.

Anti-Obesity Drive in Britain to Go Ahead Without McDonalds and KFC
Even as some of the major global firms signed up for the British government’s anti-obesity drive, many have criticized the campaign

Source-AFP