McDonald’s operator takes a contrarian bet

Westlife Foodworld, the franchise holder for western and southern India, focuses on the dine-in experience with fewer but bigger outlets.

Harsh Bhateja, 28, hesitated to order from McDonald’s for years. He found its sauces and patties too bland for his taste. But recent additions such as a “butter chicken” burger are quite solid, says Bhateja, who often picks up his meal at the fast-food chain’s drive-through on his way to work. “Learning it from [Warren] Buffett, the OG, you see,” he quips, referring to the billionaire’s habit of buying a McDonald’s meal while driving to work. 

Priyanka Seth, 37, rarely ordered from McDonald’s for her kids. With hygiene becoming a key priority because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she now prefers …

Author

Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti used to write at the intersection of public markets and large corporations. She joined The Morning Context from The Financial Express, where she was with the markets team, and before that had started out in business journalism as a correspondent with Reuters.

Writer

aakriti@mailtmc.com

Delhi