麥當勞將在印度開素食餐廳

爲了適應當地市場需求，麥當勞計劃於明年中旬在印度北部聖城阿姆利則開設全球首家純素食餐廳。這樣，大部分印度教徒和當地穆斯林均可在此餐廳用餐。目前，麥當勞在印度共有271家店。爲了迎合當地人的口味，麥當勞在當地餐廳提供更多種類的沙拉和健康食品，其菜單上有半數食品爲素食。在印度的麥當勞餐廳，最受歡迎的不是其標誌性的“巨無霸”漢堡，而是一款以土豆爲餡料的素食漢堡。這款漢堡的銷量佔到印度麥當勞餐廳全部銷量的四分之一。據悉，麥當勞下一步還計劃在印度西北部的一處印度教徒朝聖場所附近開設第二家素食餐廳。

The standard-bearer of the hamburger, McDonald's, is bowing to local demand and is opening a meat-free restaurant in India.

The global chain, whose best-known product is the Big Mac burger in a bun, says it will be its first vegetarian outlet.

McDonald's, the world's second biggest food outlet after Subway, increasingly adapts its range to local demand.

Both India's Hindu majority and Muslims can eat the same meat-free dishes.

Religiously observant Hindus see cows as sacred and avoid beef, while Muslims view pigs as unclean and avoid pork.

According to the AFP news agency, McDonald's will open the outlet in the middle of next year, near the Golden Temple in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in northern India.

Religious authorities forbid consumption of meat at the shrine.

A spokesman for McDonald's in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, told the news agency: "There is a big opportunity for vegetarian restaurants as many Indians are vegetarian.

"At the moment, India is still a very small market - we just have 271 restaurants in India, and across the world, we have nearly 33,000."

The chain plans to open another vegetarian outlet in north-western India, near the Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Kashmir, which is a Hindu pilgrimage site that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

McDonald's has moved to provide more salads and other healthier foods with less sugar, salt and fat in them, in response to public concerns about diet.

In India, its menu is typically 50% vegetarian.

Its signature dish in the country is the McAloo Tikki burger, which uses a spiced potato-based filling. It accounts for 25% of total sales.

Globally, the company plans to open around 1,300 new stores this year.