When Westlife Development, whose subsidiary Hardcastle
Restaurants owns the McDonald’s India (West & South) franchise, launched India’s
first McCafé, its specialty coffee outlet, at SOBO Central, in Mumbai, in 2013,
customers immediately warmed up to its many coffee-based concoctions.
One such delicious offering has been the Vanilla Latte. Do
you want to know what makes it so delicious? The best way to find out is by
checking out its recipe. Here’s the five-step method: Pour some vanilla syrup.
Get your espresso. Heat and froth the milk. Add milk to your espresso. Add some
latte art. And, it’s ready!
When McDonald’s India (West & South) launched its most
successful global brand extension McCafé’ - an inhouse coffee brand – it was
responding to the coffee culture wave already happening. McCafé soon became the
best place to enjoy a range of premium specialty coffee, which included the
likes of cappuccinos, lattes, iced mochas and frappes.
McDonald’s had already been serving these along with their
meals off the counter. The new thing was serving these in a whole new ambience
for coffee aficionados. In addition to extending its McCafé product portfolio,
the restaurant created a defined space for McCafé in-restaurant, creating a
brand within a brand at the point-of-sale. The concept of McCafé operating
inside existing McDonald’s restaurants, introduced more Indians to the premium
coffee experience.
What’s more, the baristas can be requested to add extra
espresso or flavour shots like Caramel, French Vanilla, Roasted Hazelnut, Irish
Cream or whipped cream. What set McCafé apart was its use of 100% Arabica
coffee beans, specially brewed medium-roasted by well-trained baristas. Coffee
connoisseurs may like to learn that the coffee beans and espresso at the heart
of McCafé ‘s coffees are sourced from Chikmagalur, in Karnataka, India.
Other beverages offered by McCafé are hot chocolate,
specialty teas, cookies, pastries and muffins.
From the company’s point of view, the launch of McCafé brand
was a major step in its beverage growth strategy and its goal to elevate its
coffee portfolio to become India’s favourite destination for great food and great
beverages.
As Amit Jatia shared at the time, “We see huge potential
within the Indian marketplace for customers who have a strong taste for coffee,
the specialty segment, and we believe we’ve created a great place for people to
enjoy quality espresso coffees.”
“We also see an opportunity to continue expanding our
beverage platform and making efforts to gain a greater share of a sizeable
Indian beverage market,” added Jatia.
Over the years, McCafé has proved him right by being an
acceleration for the business and driving the beverage and food business to unparalleled
heights to make McDonald’s India (West & South) perch comfortably as a
leader in the quick-service restaurant space in India.
Amit Jatia concludes, “Our goal is to fuel stronger customer
connections and to be the place Indians think of first when they’re hungry or
thirsty.”
