Veg Maharaja Mac A Delight For Vegetarian Customers

The Big Mac is a world-famous hamburger sold by McDonald’s, the international fast-food restaurant chain. Introduced first in Pittsburgh, United States, in 1967, it was such a huge hit that it was sold in the rest of the US by the following year. Today, it has become one of the signature products of the company and is sold across the world.

The burger originally consisted of two 100 per cent beef patties, a special sauce which is a variant of the Thousand Island dressing, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, pickles, and onions, served in a three-part sesame seed bun. To this day, the recipe remains the same in the US.

The first Indian version of the legendary American burger was the Chicken Maharaja Mac. It was a combination of grilled double-chicken patty, flavoured with smokey sauce and a slice of cheese, with slivered onion, crisp, shredded iceberg lettuce, and juicy tomatoes.

After years of the Indian Big Mac experience being reserved for non-vegetarians, McDonald’s surprised its vegetarian patrons with a Veg Maharaja this year. Now, vegetarians can also enjoy the delicious concoction of double patties with fine cheese slices, fiery jalapenos and crunchy onions, placed on a bed of fresh lettuce patty with cheese and corn, with a topping of smooth, exotic sauces.

Explaining the reason for the launch, Smita Jatia, Managing Director, Hardcastle Restaurants, the master franchisee of McDonald’s India(West & South) said, “Seeing a lot of demand for food that is filling and indulgent, made us launch the Maharaja Mac some years ago. But we did not want to exclude our vegetarian customers.”

“We did surveys among our customers, which revealed that vegetarians liked the corn-and-cheese combination. Taking a cue from that, we took the Maharaja Mac and launched its vegetarian version in the form of the Veg Maharaja Mac.”

She added that a lot of vegetables - like lettuce, jalapenos, tomatoes and onions – had been added to the new Maharaja burgers so that the vegetarian customers get to taste the freshness of the ingredients when they bite into their burger.

The Veg Maharaja Mac is surely a vegetarian's ultimate food. Huge in size and high on taste, everyone will take longer to finish the burger.

From India’s own version, let’s find out what the Big Mac looks like in other countires. Australia, a country always known to like things big, has the Mega Mac or Double Big Mac – four-ounce beef patties with an extra slice of cheese. It is the biggest regular hamburger produced by the chain and has 680 calories.

In Europe, it is known as the “Big Big Mac”, which is a quarter-pounder-like product, while Alaska, US, has its exclusive burger named after its mountain, Mt. McKinley - The McKinley-Mac. It’s made of two quarter-pound patties.

In West Asia, the Chicken Big Mac - with two breaded chicken patties – is sold.  Ther countries are Pakistan, Egypt, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar. The Giga Big Mac is a larger version, with three times the meat of a Big Mac. This belongs to Japan.

McDonald’s in Hyderabad Serves up a Kebab Burger

When the McDonald’s Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) arrived in India around 20 years ago, the earliest strategy by the company to please its clientale was to create a menu that would be familiar to the local customers. Viola! the McAloo Tikki burger was born!

This desi addition to an otherwise international menu, thrilled the customers and helped the restaurant to quickly increase footfalls inside its restaurants.

McDonald’s (West & South) recently took efforts to replicate its success story in the southern city of Hyderabad by launching a range of new products with local flavours – it was a kebab inside a burger!

So, what’s the connection between Hyderabad and kebabs? Hyderabad is as famous for its kebabs as it is for its biryanis. The kebab, which originated in Iran and the Middle East, was inspired by culinary methods from faraway places like the Mediterranean. Today, a huge variety of kebabs are cooked using a variety of exotic spices. Then, when the kebabs came to India, the city of Hyderabad added its own Mughlai tradition by cooking it with hot South Indian spices. The kebabs of Hyderabad bore the smokey flavour of skewered meat and vegetables, topped by the unmistakeable flavour of Indian spices.

Now, McDonald’s India (South & West) has launched not one but three new kebab dishes. The new meals launched in Hyderabad are: the Chicken Kebab Burger, the Kebab Wrap, and the Chicken Kebab Double Patty Burger. Just the names can make you feel the whiff from the kitchens.

The three new flavours were first launched at the McDonald’s restaurant at the busy City Centre Mall in Hyderabad. Today, the menu has been extended from one store to 22 stores across Hyderabad.

In the words of Kedar Teny, Director, Marketing and Digital, McDonald’s India (West and South), 

“We aim to delight our customers in Hyderabad by offering them their favourite kebabs in a unique recipe. We continue serving innovative dishes in South India, which has been a major market to adopt and cater to the changing consumer trends. We are testing here, and if it gets a good response, we will expand it pan-India.”

The new menu is a blend of the familiar with the new, which makes for an exciting combination. It’s certain that Hyderabad’s locals will welcome the new flavours, as they are a city of food lovers who love new tastes even they appreciate traditional flavours.

This sentiment was echoed by Amit Jatia, Vice Chairman, Westlife Development Limited and owner of the McDonald’s (West and South India), when the franchise reached the 20-year milestone, recently. He said the 20-year journey had been about “thinking global, but being local”, which meant keeping the international chain relevant to a global visitor, yet having a lot of appeal to a local customer.

“Our menu has evolved unbelievably in the last 20 years. We have built a solid foundation with our menu and succeeded in building sub-brands like McSpicy and McAloo Tikki. When other burger companies come in, these brands really help to differentiate our offering,” he said.

Moreover, established brands help in new products succeeding. For instance, McAloo Tikki - which is the biggest brand for McDonald’s India - has aided the success of new flavours like Mexican and Lebanese in the AlooTikki burgers. “The people’s faith in the brand make them try out new menus, which have a positive impact on same-store sales,” adds Jatia.

So, what makes a McDonald’s kebab different? It is a traditionally cooked, spicy, square-shaped patty, made of minced chicken and seasoned with Indian spices, breadcrumbs and chickpeas, and accompanied by sliced red onion. The Chicken Kebab Burger is accompanied by a spicy Hariyali sauce, which has the taste of green chillies, mint and coriander leaves, which lend a typical local flavour to the tasty dish.

Customer Service Is All About Service With A Smile At Mcdonald’s

Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see, wrote Mark Twain. Indeed, whether or not you are aware of a good deed someone has done to you or one that you did to another, you can be sure it left its indelible mark on someone’s heart or mind.

Having experienced a good deed at a McDonald’s restaurant on the Mumbai-Kolhapur highway, when he arrived there for lunch, the customer was quick to express his thanks through a letter.

Soon after his arrival, Vinayak Jadhav dropped his wallet, which contained a little over 2000 INR. However, he realised his mistake only after he had finished his lunch at the restaurant.

Later, observing the customer searching for his wallet, the security guard at McDonald’s assured him not to worry as his wallet had been found and deposited with the restaurant manager.

One can imagine the customer’s relief. Here is the letter he later wrote McDonald’s:

“Sir, today I went to McDonald’s Kolhapur, on the National Highway, for lunch. When I parked my car, something fell down from my pocket. I went out with my friend for about 45 minutes. After coming back, I took a meal at McDonald’s. It was then that I realised that cash of around Rs 2300 was missing. I went near my car and began searching for the cash. Then, the security person of the shift approached me to inform that he found the cash and handed it over to the Shift Manager, Ms Nelson. She had been searching for the owner of the car for quite some time. I wish to appreciate the (value) system developed by your team. The cash was not so big but I liked the loyalty of the security officer and your team. With Best Wishes, Vinayak Jadhav.”

Vinayak Jadhav is not alone in appreciating McDonald’s. Here are more examples of simple courtesies keeping customerscoming back.

“Hello there, I'm Pawan Kr Jha from Frazer Town, Bangalore. I work as Operations Head in a Private Health Care firm in Bangalore. I have a daughter of 11 yrs. Last year, when she was 10, we had to arrange her birthday get-together in hurry. We threw a small party last year in McDonald’s outlet on Mosque Road. The experience was so good, that this year too, on October 22, we decided to have my daughter's birthday party at McDonald’s Mosque Road outlet. This year too, the arrangements were awesome, including the decorations. Everything was taken care of, and all the kids were very happy and satisfied, with no complaints. Thanks to each employee of your Mosque Road outlet. Cheers!! Pawan Kumar Jha.”

Yet another letter comes from Kochi:

 “Hi, I want to share a great experience I had at McDonald’s MG Road while travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi. It was almost 11:30 at night and we were searching for a restaurant to have dinner as no restaurants were open at the time. We finally stopped at a McDonald’s. Though the crew said the store was closed at the time, yet the manager again fired up the equipment and made sure that our needs were met. Indeed, my family, especially the kids, enjoyed the outstanding hospitality delivered by the managers and staff of McDonald’s at MG Road. Regards, Akshay Panicker”

Here’s a grateful chap from Indore:

“I forgot my mobile at a McDonald’s in Indore, and it was returned to me by the staff. It was an example of the team’s great sense of responsibility. They have truly built a great trust. Thanks and regards, Kishan Kumar Sharma.”

As Bill Vaughan put it, “Our lives are fed by kind words and gracious behaviour”.

Source : 

http://uberant.com/article/214397-mcdonalds-believes-in-keeping-customers-happy-by-doing-a-job-well/

Piri Piri: When French Fries Went On An African Safari

When McDonald’s launched its Piri Piri fries, the restaurant’s loyal clientale immediately took to the new taste of their favourite fries. Although they couldn’t believe that the well-known fries could get any better, they hadf to admit that the Piri Piri spice and the McDonald’s french fries made for an irresistible combination.

One could see people waiting patiently in long queues to get their pack of French fries along with a sachet of Piri Piri spice, which they tore open and poured its contents into the pack. Then, you could see them shaking the packs as they walked back to their seats, in a bid to evenly coat the fries with the special spice.

What makes the spice perfect for the French fries is it being used coarsely grounded, allowing it to coat the fries better than a finely ground spice.

McDonald’s French fries themselves are thankfully always bright golden brown, thin, and crisp, made of wholesome potatoes of a very special variety. Their tender exterior and moist interior make these fries a hit with most people. Once they get coated with the Piri Piri spice, they turn a deep brown colour.

Of course, if you’re not sure of how much of the spice you need to lather your fries with, the very first time round, you might pour the spice slowly, taste the fries, and then add more if you want. This is just so the fries don’t get too pungent or spicy by pouring the entire spice sachet into the fries. Especially as the spice in India has large amounts of garlic. You might wish for a dipping sauce to take away the overwhelming taste of garlic.

McDonald’s Piri Piri is a simple mix of spices, not too elaborate, and all the ingredients are natural. There’s tamarind of course, adding a much needed sour flavour to the seasoning. 

The ad for these fries called them “periperilicous”! Undoubtedly, once you tasted these fries, you knew you had to have more. Seeing the popularity of this dish, McDonald’s changed this temporary promotional offer and made it a permanent one.

Just pay Rs 15 extra on your regular McDonald’s french fries to upgrade to the Piri Piri French fries.

So what exactly is this Piri Piri? Let’s find out!

My heart goes Piri Piri

“Piri piri” is a tweak of the African word peri peri, in Swahili language. It literally means, “pepper, pepper”, as if one was exclaiming after finding it too spicy or else, one was going into raptures at the mere taste of it.

Piri Piri is made using a combination of various spices, much like the garam masala in the Indian spice cabinet. It blends many grounded spices such as salt, chilli powder, black pepper, garlic, tamarind, onion, sugar, citric acid and various herbs.

In Africa, they know the spice as “bird's eye chili”. It belongs to the family of capsicum frutescens, one of the sources of chili pepper. On that continent, the chili grows both in the wild as well as grown at home. A member of the capsicum genus, and a native of Angola, Uganda, Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia, it was the Portuguese who brought the special spice to India via Goa.

The Oxford Dictionary itself describes piri piri as "a very hot sauce made with red chilli peppers".

The piri piri grows as a bush, its fruits turning from green to bright red or even purple.

Though Piri Piri is African, Piri Piri sauce is Portuguese in origin, made using crushed chillies, citrus peel, onion, pepper, salt, lemon juice, bay leaves, paprika, pimiento, basil, oregano and tarragon.

Mcdonald’s Celebrates Thanksgiving Week

The Thanksgiving Festival is big in the United States, where the headquarters of McDonald’s Corporation is located. It’s not surprising then that the festival found its echo in Mumbai, the headquarters of McDonald’s India (South & West).

While in the US, the day marks the day that the first Europeans, known as “pilgrims”, arrived in the New Land called America, the celebrations at McDonald’s India was simply about making it meaningful and having fun in the process.

During Thanksgiving Week, which began on October 17, McDonald’s employees in the Mumbai headquarters had a plan: to celebrate their work life with events every day for the remaining part of the week! Indeed, the McDonald’s India (South & West) headquarters in Mumbai had a pre-Diwali festive look and feel.
On October 17, there was the McDonald’s Fun & Fair. The mention of “fun” and the employees decided to shed their boring formal clothes to don colourful clothes instead. They had a go at competing in many fun activities. After all the fun, it was time to conclude the day by gorging on delicious food laid out at a Chatpata Chaat Party.

The next day, Tuesday, the celebrations started the moment the employees reached office. When one works for McDonald’s, can a delicious breakfast, courtesy McDonald’s, be far away? The employees could order any mouth-watering and nutritious meal from the Breakfast menu at McDonald’s that sunny morning. After a fulfilling start, it was time to take a peep into the future with the help of a Tarot reading from a renowned Tarot reader.

On the third day, it was time for some pot luck, with all the employees bringing cuisine from their homes to share with their colleagues. So, there was South Indian idlis, north Indian chole chawal, Marathi poha, and what not. After btasting a variety of dishes, there was more fun waiting for them. There was lots of shopping to be done, buying McDonald’s merchandise for one’s relatives and friends. A unique gift, wouldn’t you say, for the upcoming Diwali festival?

After three fun-filled days, it was time to dedicate the fourth day for some selfless love and commitment to a better cause. All the employees pledge their time for the Ronald McDonald House Charities charitable Initiative, in the form of a Family Room at the Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai. They realised that they could visit the facility between 2 and 4 PM on any week day. As the saying goes, the gift of time is the best gift of all, one that lasts when the material gifts have ceased to amuse. Finally, it was time for a Tapri Chaai party.

On the penultimate day, the celebrations moved from the McDonald’s office to the restaurants, to include the employees who are the visible face of the company interacting directly with the people. That day also marked the 20th Anniversary of McDonald’s in India.

Source:

http://articles.abilogic.com/185514/mcdonald-celebrates-thanksgiving-week.html

How Eggs Started Mcdonald’s Breakfast Menu

In Europe, America, Japan, and South America and a lot more countries, eggs are used not only as a great source of protein but as a part of cuisines specific to the region. In short, east or west, eggs is the best.

It is not an overstatement to claim there is an on-going love affair between eggs and humans. Eggs have passed effortlessly through the dividers of cuisines all around the world, leading to its status as a globally produced and consumed food item.

In 1972, Ray Kroc was invited to a McDonald’s restaurant in Santa Barbara to try the first McDonald’s sandwich made with eggs. When Kroc saw the breakfast sandwich – hot egg, combined with cheese, Canadian bacon and English muffins, he was baffled as an egg-sandwich was unusual at that time. But after he had had a bite, Kroc, who had had lunch already, didn’t stop till he had two sandwiches.

“He didn’t want me to reject it out of hand, which I might have done, because it was a crazy idea—a breakfast sandwich. It consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle, with the yolk broken, and was dressed with a slice of cheese and a slice of grilled Canadian bacon. This was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin. I boggled a bit at the presentation. But then I tasted it, and I was sold,” Kroc said.

Eggstastic invention, it truly was, as is proven by Egg McMuffin’s popularity today.

As it has less sodium, EggMcMuffin became a healthy breakfast sandwich. Today it is so popular, that in many countries, the sandwich is served all day long.

My Vote Goes To Mcspicy Paneer Burger

In the world of fast-food, burgers are one of the most popular items to ever grace the menu lists. And in the world of burgers, McDonald’s has a brand recognition that is insurmountable, what with its collection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers, McDonald’s is the uncrowned king.

If burgers ever had a presidential poll, my vote would go to McSpicy Paneer burger. McDonald’s Spicy Paneer burger is onetasty joy ride –one of the most popular McDonald’s burgers ever to be introduced exclusively for the Indian market, but it was not an easy task to achieve. In a escapade that began with a deal between McDonald’s and a Netherlands’ food processing equipment manufacturer company, and ended in Navi Mumbai, the clear outcome was the rise of a new kind of burger –the McSpicy Paneer, which turned out to be an instant success. After the breaded paneer patty, tandoori sauce and ingredients were finalized, the only thing left was wait for the burger to launch and inevitably take over the hearts and taste-buds of its Indian patrons.

In March 2011, the production for McDonald’s McSpicy Paneer burger was started at Vista’s processing unit at Taloja, Navi Mumbai and the burger was finally launched on March 28, 2011. Its roaring success was instantaneous and since then McSpicy Paneer burger has found a loving and loyal group of customers all over the vast and diverse country that is India. 

Burgers Are Incomplete Without A Bun

It is a taste-dominated world. What is found appealing to the taste-buds is often recognized and celebrated while what is merely hygienic or ‘healthy’ does not get the credit it deserves. In the world of burgers, this statement holds true for nearly all types of sandwiches, as long as there is a patty enclosed within a bun, the bun will be overlooked. The patty is the star of the burger, just like Amitabh Bachchan who even in a cameo steals the show, so does the patty always end up on top even though it rests ‘inside’ the bun.

Buns are the unsung heroes of the burger world, especially at McDonald’s. Most of you would not know it but McDonald’s buns are not merely found on trees: they are baked to perfection by Mrs. Bector’s –one of India’s finest bakeries. The buns are baked in all of three locations in India and are then transported all over our immense nation.

Every morning, as the workers enter Mrs. Bector’s baking factory, they are given an air shower and their hands are sanitized. Then they don masks on their faces and heads to minimize the possibility of unwanted particles finding their way into the bun-mix. Equipped with Gum boots, the workers then proceed to prepare the flour which the machinery automatically turns into bun-shaped balls, which are then baked in large ovens until the signature color and texture as expected of McDonald’s is achieved.

Finally, after another test with a metal-detector, the buns are packed in vacuumed plastic bags, placed in cartons, put in temperature-controlled trucks and sent off on a long journey which inevitably ends in someone’s tummy.

Budding Chefs Get A Chance To Create A Burger At Mcdonald’s Chef Challenge

Everyone loves McDonald’s burgers. But not everyone gets to make their version of it. However, student chefs from Institutes of Hotel Management (IHM) got the opportunity to do so at the McDonald’s Chef Challenge.

In the initial round of the Challenge, titled ‘Remix and Remake’, the chefs created their burgers using McDonald’s familiar buns and patty, but added their individual touch by using different salads and dressings.

The chefs who were declared winners in this round, will later get a chance to create an entire burger using their own recipe, for the final round. The grand finale is to be held at the IHM Mumbai campus on 29 September.

The participants in the McDonalds’ Chef Challenge said they were are certainly having a great time, enjoying making burgers and thinking of better recipes. Besides making burgers, they were also getting a chance to meet leading stakeholders of McDonald’s, which was certainly giving them insights into the workings of the successful brand.

They have also been getting a chance to visit various McDonald’s facilities and to know the brand up-close.

Now, they are excited to participate in the final round of the McDonald’s Chef Challenge and stand a chance to become the winner with their specially created burger.

Of course, if it gets included in the regular menu at a Mcdonald’s restaurant, their cup of joy will overflow.

I’m McDelivering it

The delivery base of McDonald’s India, McDelivery was introduced in 2004, and from 2011 to 2015, its sales have grown at 22 per cent CAGR. In the last two years its business has grown by over 60% seeing that the average check for delivery is generally much higher compared to in-store business.

The success of McDelivery clearly indicates an exciting new trend in the Indian Food Services market – consumer preference for convenience of enjoying fresh and tasty food in the comfort of their own homes.

“Convenience is the key to McDonald’s business models and formats. Home delivery in India is driven by many factors, such as poor infrastructure, increasing road traffic, favorable demographics, changing food habits, urbanization, more working professionals with hectic schedules and rising disposable incomes are helping to fuel the growth.” – Says Mr. Ranjith Paliath, Vice President - Business Operations, McDonald's India (West & South).

McDelivery has definitely been able to tap into the growing demand for home delivery effectively. The boom in home delivery in India has not only been enjoyed by McDonald’s but facilitated at each point in its evolution. By targeting the youth and working professionals with their range of pocket-friendly items, McDonald’s has reinvented itself in India in the last decade by introducing regional menus with items such as McAlooTikki burgers, Chicken Maharaja Mac and others which are prepared from locally procured products to maintain a sustainable business model. Also, with the rise of digital platforms and e-commerce options, it has never been easier to receive your favorite McDonald’s item at your doorstep.