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Multinational restaurant chains Burger King, McDonald’s, Domino’s, and Subway are setting up stores at pilgrimage sites in India while abiding by religious directives.
Drawn by the large captive markets offered by such destinations, the chains have turned to places of worship such as the Golden Temple, Vaishno Devi, Tirupati, and Shirdi but for material gains, instead of spiritual.
Burger King CEO Rajeev Karman, whose company opened its first store in Katra, where Vaishno Devi temple is located, said that their facility there is the first in the world with a 100 percent vegetarian menu and onion and garlic free.
Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has allocated two sites on the yantra route to McDonald's, whose outlets become operational by September end.
McDonald's also plans to open stores at Ayodhya, Kamakhya Temple, and Katra in the coming months.
The outlet would also offer 100 percent vegetarian food with no onion and garlic.
McDonald's already has 100 percent vegetarian outlets at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and Kurukshetra, with daily sales of more than Rs 1.5 lakh per store.
According to the executives, pilgrim sites are profitable for food chains because they give the companies a first mover advantage.
Pilgrim sites provide a ready captive market and a lack of competition—factors that branded food chains look for when opening new locations.
