Yum to launch 600 outlets of Taco Bell in India

Yum Brands, an American fast food company, is planning to launch 600 outlets of Taco Bell in India and employ around 20,000 people. With this development, India will be the second largest market for Taco Bell outside the US. Yum Brands is operating Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC.

Taco Bell has also named Burman Hospitality Pvt Ltd as its master franchise partner for India, which makes the New Delhi-based company the largest Taco Bell franchise globally by store count. The brand will further introduce cloud kitchens in the domestic market.

Liz Williams, President of Taco Bell International, said, "We plan to open 600 restaurants in India over a period of 10 years. Currently, there are 7,000 Taco Bell restaurants in the US alone. Rest of the 500 restaurants are located in other countries."

Gaurav Burman, Director, Burman Hospitality, stated, "The agreement of master franchise gives us the confidence to spend family money in the venture. It enables us to protect what we have built over the years such as India-specific equipment and kitchen designs we have developed for Taco Bell. The master franchise agreement with Taco Bell will allow us to grant sub-franchise agreements to third parties."

"We would first focus on building scale and we will do it on our own. Once we do that, we would look at inviting other partners," he added.