It is said that QSR's business is driven by innovation and technological advancement and one has to continuously go through these changes to keep ahead of its competitors in the market. QSR chain McDonald’s has always kept itself ahead in the segment when it comes to innovation, technological advancements, or acquiring new clientele via its marketing channels. Happy Meal Readers Program is their latest edition to attract children while sparking curiosity and imagination amongst them. In an interaction with Restaurant India, Rajeev Ranjan, COO, CPRL that manages McDonald’s in North and East India talks about the same:

It is said that QSR's business is driven by innovation and technological advancement. What are the biggest innovations at McDonald’s that give you an edge over your peers?

We continue to drive growth with menu innovation and by equipping our restaurants with new tech. The introduction of digital menu boards, cashless payment options, and contactless ordering are some of the technology enhancements that are available at all McDonald’s restaurants in the North and East regions. Our recent products – Butter Paneer grilled burger and Butter Chicken grilled burger have been an outcome of menu innovation and have done exceedingly well.

From its launch to the post-pandemic era, McDonald’s has gone through lots of changes and innovations. What makes India such a delectable market and what has been the growth trajectory like for you?

Industry reports suggest the QSR segment is expected to grow at 20-25 percent CAGR by 2025.  It is encouraging to see the QSR sector record quick post-covid recovery demonstrating strong resilience. Seeing the opportunity this sector offers, many global chains are coming /planning to set up operations in our country. This will help expand the industry, create more jobs and offer customers soulful food and memorable experiences. Our vision is to provide an international McDonald’s experience to the customers of North and East. We wish to offer our guests a delightful experience through customer-centric menu innovations, and technology-led enhanced convenience and provide an experience of the future through our modernized restaurants.

Is McDonald’s revisiting its menus towards vegan, local supply chain, and indigenous product lines in India?

We have a proud legacy of bringing authentic local flavors to meet the needs of our customers. Recently we have added Butter Chicken and Butter Paneer grilled burgers to our menu, which are inspired by India’s popular casual dining dishes.

Tell us something about the ‘Happy Meal Readers Program’? What message do you want to communicate through it?

The Happy Meal Readers program is about families. With the introduction of books with Happy Meal, our intent is to help families discover the joy of reading together and storytelling while sparking curiosity and imagination among children. These books have been authored exclusively for the Happy Meal Readers program by award-winning author Cressida Cowell, best known for ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ and ‘The Wizards of Once’ book series. As a part of this, Cressida has authored a 12-book collection titled ‘The Tiny Detectives’, three of which will be introduced every month as part of McDonald’s Happy Meal. The first three books to kick off the series are, The Tiny Detectives: Do spiders have pets? Why do Stars Twinkle? and Can Trees Talk?

What has been the thought behind the revamp of HM Bundle?

Our customers are at the core of all that we do. We are always listening to and learning from them every step of the way on our food journey. Over the years, we’ve added new tastes, ingredients, and innovations that have helped to change the industry. Most recently, we introduced Pineapple tidbits fruit bowls, and chocolate milkshakes to our Happy Meal to offer balanced and wholesome choices to our customers and their families. We continue to evolve and make steady progress on our food journey that creates positive and meaningful changes so parents can feel good about our Happy Meals.

What additional changes can we expect in Happy Meal in the near future?

At McDonald’s, we are always looking for new ways to introduce meaningful changes that meet the changing consumer tastes and preferences. We will continue to evolve our menu to help empower and encourage our customers and their families to make informed choices as part of a balanced lifestyle.

Is the brand observing a stronger customer engagement with the new Happy Meals? How is the Happy Readers Program helping in this?

Families represent an important and strong part of our business. The introduction of books with our Happy Meal has given us a way to draw young kids to the beautiful world of books and help inculcate the habit of reading. It’s a whole new way of providing families with a fun and educational way to spend quality family time together.

What changes you have brought after acquiring the franchise rights for the brand in North and East India?

We have remained nimble as a company with a strong focus on providing the best value to customers, enhancing menu choices, and increasing convenience channels, which brought an emphasis on delivery and digital. While we expanded our delivery network with the addition of Magic Pin to existing third-party delivery partners Zomato and Swiggy, we also strengthened our value promise with the launch of our mobile app to provide customers with special deals & offers at dine-in, takeaway, or drive thru. We continue to invest in long-term growth opportunities of redefining the McDonald’s experience in the North and East markets with technology and restaurant modernization at the core of it. The introduction of digital menu boards, cashless payment options, and contactless ordering are some of the technology enhancements that are available at all McDonald’s restaurants in the North and East regions.