Vegetarian McDonald's to open in India

GlobalPost

Does visiting religious shrines in India make you crave McDonald's? No? Well, that's too bad, because McDonald's is coming to the Sikh holy city of Amritsar next year, Agence France-Presse reported. The world's biggest hamburger chain will open the outlet near the Golden Temple, a shrine where consumption of meat is forbidden. 

While that sounds like an awkward pairing, McDonald's will comply with the religious rules and only serve vegetarian food at the restaurant. “A vegetarian store makes absolute sense in the places which are famous as pilgrimage sites,” Rajesh Kumar Maini, a spokesman for McDonald’s India, told the Financial Times

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McDonald's restaurants in India have never served beef, but an all-vegetarian outlet is a first for the chain, the Associated Press reported

McDonald's isn't hugely popular in India right now, but the fast food megabrand is trying to change that. Chain restaurants account for just 5 percent of India's fast-food market, according to the Financial Times. McDonald's currently has 271 storefronts in India and wants to double that number within three years.  

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