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.