McDonald's likely to launch McCafe in north and east India

US fast-food chain McDonald’s is likely to launch McCafe, its proprietary in-coffee-house-style food and drink chain, in the north and east India.

At present, McCafes are located in south and west India, where Westlife Development-owned Hardcastle Restaurants is operating 296 outlets of McDonald's across 41 cities. The master franchisee for McDonald’s has introduced 190 McCafes in those regions. However, McCafes are absent in north and east India, where Connaught Plaza Restaurants (CPRL) runs 165 quick service restaurants (QSR) under the McDonald’s banner.

A senior executive said, "McDonald’s has not been able to scale up in North and East India due to the long-drawn legal tussle between the burger chain and its former partner Vikram Bakshi. As a result, several global brand extensions, such as McCafe, have not been integrated into its system in those regions, leading to consumers having a disparate brand experience while visiting McDonald’s across the country. Now, McDonald’s will bring in those extensions to create a uniform look and feel across all its outlets."

A global McDonald’s spokesperson stated, "Our immediate priority is on carrying out our work in restaurants so that we can re-open them as soon as possible. In terms of future business strategy, it is important to note that we are actively looking for the right developmental licensee partner for North and East India."