New sandwiches at McDonald's

Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited (HRPL), a Master Franchisee for west & south India operations of McDonald’s and a subsidiary of Westlife Development Limited, a company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE: 505533), announced the launch of its new sandwiches - McPaneer Royale & Grilled Chicken Royale.

The McPaneer Royale proudly holds the rich grilled paneer patties marinated with herbs, skillfully layered with different types of lettuce, red cabbage and carrot sandwiched between 4.5” long cornmeal dusted buns. Thin slices of tomato and jalapeno along with a creamy cheese and onion sauce add a dash of tanginess to the McPaneer Royale. On the other hand the Grilled Chicken Royale is a lip smacking combination of McDonald’s classic Grilled Chicken Patties clubbed with minced chicken cold cuts ensconced between fresh, crisp lettuce, tomato slices and loads of exotic salad drizzled with creamy veg mayonnaise sauce for the extra zest.
Commenting on the introduction of the premium Royale sandwiches, Mr. Rameet Arora, Senior Director, Marketing and Menu Management, Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of our new sandwiches - McPaneer Royale & Grilled Chicken Royale. The two delectable sandwiches add an enticing twist to McDonald's existing menu that offers over 70 items to choose from.
We have seen a rising demand from customers for wholesome filling products that they can enjoy as a complete meal at lunch or dinner time. These two sandwiches offer an outstanding mealtime experience for customers across the board. We are sure that our new Royale range will keep customers coming back for more!”
He further added, “Earlier this year, we launched three new wraps - McAloo wrap, Egg Wrap and Grilled Chicken wrap with Chipotle sauce and now the introduction of new range of sandwiches further adds to McDonald’s continual expansion of its menu offerings and brand, aiming to grow not just its share of sales in the QSR industry but in the industry as a whole.”
McPaneer Royale & Grilled Chicken Royale will be available in McDonald’s - 183 restaurants in the west and south India from Tuesday, 1st April 2014.

FIFA World Cup consumer-focused program by McDonald's India

McDonald's India today announced its FIFA World Cup consumer-focused program that will engage football fans around the country. McDonald’s India will give young soccer enthusiasts a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet soccer heroes competing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ trophy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer.
Kicking off today, children or the guardian can participate in the McDonald’s Player Escort Programme by purchasing a Happy Meal™ at any of the McDonalds restaurants across west and south India. Customers purchasing a Happy Meal™ will receive a contest coupon with a 7 digit unique code. In order to enter the contest, the participant will need to answer a simple question related to FIFA World Cup ™ by giving a missed call on 07878786060. The winner will be decided on the basis of a draw of all the successful participants who answer the question correctly and their names would be announced on www.mcdonaldsindia.com/pep

This exclusive consumer focused McDonald's program, will give one child (age of 6 to 10), accompanied by a parent or guardian, a chance to travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to participate in the excitement and passion of FIFA World Cup™. 1,408 children (aged 6-10) across the globe are provided the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the tournament and walk hand-in-hand onto the pitch with their football heroes.

“We are proud to be associated with FIFA World Cup™ 2014 and promise to bring the excitement of the world's most-watched sporting event to life for millions of young customers across our restaurants”, said Mr. Rameet Arora, Senior Director, Marketing and Menu Management, Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited.

“We are committed to providing our customers to participate in the excitement and passion of FIFA World Cup at Brazil - from specially-themed menu items, packaging and restaurant promotions to innovative digital activities, our goal is to connect our customers with the FIFA World Cup. The Player Escort program aims to fuel kids’ passion for the game and inspire active play, while also giving one lucky winner a chance to live their dream and embark on an unforgettable journey”, he said.
Globally, McDonald’s will send 1,408 children to Brazil to serve as Player Escorts and support their country’s players during the month-long competition, which commences from June 12 and culminates with the championship match on July 13. McDonald’s Player Escort program began in 2002 at the FIFA World Cup™ in South Korea/Japan. Since that time, McDonald’s has given more than 6,000 children from around the world a chance to lead a player into the stadium. Additionally, McDonald's has been a supporter of soccer at both the global and grassroots levels for over 25 years. The Company has served as an Official Sponsor and the Official Restaurant of the FIFA World Cup™ since the United States Tournament in 1994, continuing for each FIFA World Cup™ through to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

McDonald’s celebrates second ‘National Breakfast Day’

Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited (HRPL), a Master Franchisee for west & south India operations of McDonald’s Restaurants and a subsidiary of Westlife Development Limited, a company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE: 505533), announced that the second year of ‘National Breakfast Day’ will be celebrated on March 24th,2014 in India.



McDonald’s initiated the breakfast movement by launching “National Breakfast Day” in 2013 to emphasize the importance of breakfast – and to give customers an easier start to the day with wholesome, convenient breakfast solutions. This program is part of McDonald’s commitment not only to grow the breakfast category but also encourage Indians to eat breakfast. Breakfast is an important start to the day everywhere in the world, and McDonald’s wants more people to enjoy the value of breakfast with a free McMuffin at the nearest McDonald’s.



Back by popular demand, ‘National Breakfast Day’ is a global initiative that sees participation from over 6,000 McDonald’s restaurants across Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Given the large number of participating restaurants – potentially, this will mean a free breakfast for millions of McDonald’s customers across countries.


“McDonald’s is the only QSR chain in India to offer a dedicated breakfast menu for customers. By inviting our customers to join us for a free McMuffin in the morning, we want to start a movement and rally people to make breakfast an integral part of their healthy morning,” saidRanjith Paliath, Vice President, Business Operations, Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (McDonald’s India - West & South). “We were so encouraged by our customers’ resounding response last year; we are bringing back National Breakfast Day again to remind people about waking up to better mornings with breakfast,” he further added.


Despite breakfast being considered as the most important meal of the day, most people tend to skip this meal. A survey shows only 3% regard breakfast as an essential meal; 72% do not have adequate breakfast daily; and one in four skips it. In Mumbai alone, 85% feel that it is alright to skip breakfast if they could manage until lunch time as compared to 34% skipping the meal daily.

“Breakfast is a significant business for McDonald’s. Last year, we served breakfast to over 10 million customers which has been built over the past 4 years. We know the convenience of a hot McMuffin on-the-go makes breakfast so much more accessible for people who are often caught up in the morning rush.We believe that there is a growing market for out-of-home breakfast; this is a reflection of an evolving lifestyle, characterized by nuclear families, rising young and working population coupled with growing disposable income and increasing distances and commute times.”

“We continue to see potential growth in our breakfast business – and by celebrating ‘National Breakfast Day’ we want to thank our customers and invite them for our delicious, wholesome and quality breakfast which is a convenient way to start the day,” added Mr. Paliath.

National Breakfast Day on 24 March gets bigger this time, with over 5,500 employees in more than 115 restaurants in west and south India set to give away thousands of free McMuffins (Veg/Egg) to customers this year. This event clearly resonates with customers, judging by the number of customers who queued up to savor a free McMuffin last year.

In India, McDonald’s has been serving breakfast since 2010. Iconic breakfast menu items include Egg McMuffin and choices like the Sausage McMuffin with Egg & the Egg and Cheese McMuffin for the non-vegetarians. The Veg McMuffin and Veg Supreme offer nutritious breakfast options for the vegetarians. The menu provides customers with a wide range of grilled wholesome breakfast options that are quick grabs - ideal for those who are pressed for time and are always on the go.

McDonald’s Introduces Delectable Crispy Veggie Pops To Its Happy Price Menu™

Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited (HRPL), a Master Franchisee for west & south India operations of McDonald’s Restaurants and a subsidiary of Westlife Development Limited, a company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE : 505533), today announced the launch of its latest fresh and creative additions to its Happy Price MenuTM - Crispy Veggie Pops.


With an already extensive menu of more than 70 varieties of delectable burgers, wraps, finger foods, beverages and desserts, McDonald’s this monsoon has added the crunchy twist to its menu with the Crispy Veggie Pops. Prepared with freshly chopped spinach and potatoes and drizzled with aromatic Indian spices and herbs like mint and coriander leaves, these Veggie Pops are lightly breaded and fried to a golden brown.

Recommended with signature mint sauce in a convenient hand-held package designed for eating on-the-go, the freshly prepared Crispy Veggie Pops are part of McDonald’s commitment to offering customers a variety of relevant tastes and new food choices. Customers can choose a portion of 6 Crispy Veggie Pops at Rs. 25 or 12 Crispy Veggie Pops at Rs. 45.

The Crispy Veggie Pops were tested on the menu in Hyderabad before appearing across the 166 restaurant locations in west and south India.

Commenting on this new introduction, Mr Rameet Arora, Senior Director, Marketing and Menu Management, Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd, said, “We’re so happy to continually add exciting new items to our menu. I am particularly pleased with the creativity and exciting flavour profiles of the new menu items. Once again, our culinary team has pushed the envelope to create innovative dishes that our guests have come to expect from McDonald’s. Also, the packaging design was important for us as we wanted to ensure our customers can enjoy each bite; whether dining in our restaurants or on-the-go.”

Customers can now enjoy the Crispy Veggie Pops at the nearest McDonald’s restaurant or order them online at www.mcdelivery.co.in.

About Hardcastle Restaurants – McDonald’s India (west & south)

McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with more than 34,000 locations serving approximately 68 million customers in 118 countries, each day.  Celebrating 16 years of leadership in food service retail in India, McDonald’s today has a network of over 300 restaurants across the country, with its first restaurant launch way back in 1996.

In its markets, HRPL today serves approximately 165 million customers, annually, at 166 restaurants in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The company provides employment to over 6500 employees. The pillars of the McDonald's system – Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value – are evident at each of the restaurants where HRPL operates.

Prior to its launch, the company invested six years to develop its unique cold chain, which has brought about a veritable revolution in food handling, immensely benefiting the farmers at one end and enabling customers to get highest quality food products, absolutely fresh and at a great value.

In line with its respect for local culture, India is the first country in the world where McDonald’s does not offer any beef or pork items. McDonald's has also re-engineered its operations to address the special requirements of Vegetarians. Vegetable products are kept separate throughout the various stages of procurement, cooking and serving. The mayonnaise and the soft serves are also 100% Vegetarian.