Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Which burger is king?
BackBack

Which burger is king?

We asked teenagers to participate in a fast-food face-offboy, do they know their burgers

Quick treat: (from left) Aarushi Sharma, Nimble Saxena, Aakash Hans, Prateek Kalyani and Nikita Kohli at Burger King, Select Citwalk mall, Saket, New Delhi; and a Burger King Whopper burgerPremium
Quick treat: (from left) Aarushi Sharma, Nimble Saxena, Aakash Hans, Prateek Kalyani and Nikita Kohli at Burger King, Select Citwalk mall, Saket, New Delhi; and a Burger King Whopper burger

New Delhi: It’s an even divide. As far as teenagers are concerned a meal out with parents, friends or just about anyone is a choice between pizzas or burgers. “No one wants to eat Indian food (read paratha, dal, chicken curry or dosa) when we go out," says Aarushi Sharma, a 16-year-old from New Delhi.

And for some of them, going to a burger outlet is a bonus. “When we go out for burgers, we can also order shakes, fries, ice cream, nuggets to go along with the burger," says Manu Chhabra, 14. Others, like Nikita Kohli, 16, and Nimble Saxena, 15, admit that they end up at a burger outlet once in two weeks, usually for a family treat or an outing with friends.

Armed with that information, it was not surprising to see India’s first Burger King outlet packed on a weekday afternoon, with a 20-people-strong queue waiting outside. The Miami-based fast-food chain set up shop at the Capital’s Select Citywalk mall in Saket just a week back, almost two decades after McDonald’s—one of its chief competitors worldwide—and the novelty factor is enough to draw in the crowds.

In a study released last year, Crisil, a global analytical company that provides ratings and research, said the market for organized fast-food outlets (quick-service restaurants, or QSR) will more than double to “around 70 billion in 2015-16 from 34 billion in 2012-13 in India, driven largely by new store additions". It added that global brands currently have an aggregate market share of 63% of the domestic QSR market, and that these players have been successful in adapting their menus and products to local tastes.

“I live near Select Citywalk, so I visited Burger King a couple of days after it opened. That day the line was not too long. I liked the Paneer King Melt burger. Usually there is not much choice in vegetarian burgers and this was a change," says Prateek Kalyani, a 15-year-old who also likes the Chicken Strips served with what is internally referred to as “angry sauce", a chilli sauce ( 69 for four pieces).

The Paneer King Melt burger ( 109) is a good example of how Burger King has come into India with a menu that aims to cater to Indian tastebuds and the market’s high demand for vegetarian alternatives. We counted six options in vegetarian burgers, including a Spicy Bean Royale burger (red kidney mash as the patty base with tomato herb mayo, 89), none of which feature in the Burger King US menu available online. McDonald’s offers five varieties (McSpicy Paneer, McVeggie, McVeggie Twist, McAloo Tikki and Masala Grill Veg), while KFC has only three (Paneer Zinger, Veg Rockin’ and Potato Krisper).

At Burger King, there are seven chicken burgers and just one mutton option. Beef and bacon, staples in the chain’s US menus, are missing from the Indian menu, as is the fish burger. McDonald’s offers eight non-vegetarian varieties, while KFC has three.

We opted for Burger King’s signature Chicken Whopper ( 119) at first and were then tempted to try the Chicken Tandoor Grill ( 129). The patty in the Whopper burger is flame-broiled (though the Veg Whopper patty did not look like it had been anywhere near a flame and had most likely been dunked and cooked in oil).

The Chicken Tandoor Grill burger, which uses a piece of chicken instead of a patty made from minced chicken, is a special for India. It was almost half the size of the Whopper and did not have the gherkins, tomato slices, mayo and lettuce leaves that the Chicken Whopper had, but the moist and thick strip of chicken was perfectly flame-broiled, with a smattering of what is described as tandoori chicken masala marinade, mildly spicy mint mayo and a few raw-onion rings. However, it is a little silly to have a rectangular chicken chunk in round buns. Half the burger was really about eating the buns layered with mint mayo.

Among the shakes, the thick, gooey chocolate ( 79) was a sure-shot winner. Between the two 180 Degrees (a frozen dessert in Oreo and Cadbury Gems flavours, 75), Oreo was miles ahead of the Cadbury Gems, which seemed just a chalky, confused goop of frozen slush.

A special shout-out for Rock-it Fries: Served in a plastic glass with a dome top, this is a portion of potato fries doused in the “angry sauce", which is to be shaken before eating. But don’t leave these till the last: They become soggy.

Unlike KFC, which has introduced rice bowls unique to India, or McDonald’s wraps, Burger King is not in high innovation mode at the moment. But as far as the pricing is concerned, it has done its homework. Burger King’s Stunner section has the Crispy Veg burger (potato-based patty) for 35, and the combo (Pepsi and fries) is being offered at 69 for now. The Crispy Chicken Burger is for 49, and the combo for 79. Burgers in KFC’s WOW section include a Potato Krisper for 35, while the Chicken Snacker is for 45. McDonald’s famous McAloo Tikki costs 30 (combo with small fries and Coke, 114), while the Chicken McGrill is 45, (combo, 129). 

We took six teenagers out for a blind-tasting (see “Patty and Bun"). Each was given a quarter of a vegetarian and chicken burger from Burger King, McDonald’s and KFC. We wanted to to find out how easy it was for this generation of fast-food eaters to identify the burger that has been around for nearly two decades and the newer varieties. While McDonald’s was easy to spot, the use of the sesame bun confused one of the teens into thinking that these were from the newer chain.


*Prices exclude taxes.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 15 Nov 2014, 08:15 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App