The restaurant is chilly, but the kitchen is warm and toasty. What looks like artery-clogging amounts of oil is bubbling away in deep-fat fryers. Chunks of chicken are being breaded, fried and then rested on heated counters, small labels indicating t he time until when it is good to be served. There is some staff member or the other, hair tucked away in blue safety cap, scrubbing their hands at a wash basin in the corner. Charts stuck on the wall attempt to predict the demand and estimate the amount of business the day will bring in. For KFC, it’s one more dry run for the day on which its 50th outlet in India, in Chennai’s Anna Nagar, formally opens to the neighbourhood.
The previous day, the restaurant was opened for two hours and did a business of Rs 1 lakh, which is the average takings per outlet per day, says Niren Chaudhary, Managing Director, Yum! Restaurants India. “It’s an incredible time to expand,†he says in reply to a question about the slowdown. The topline has grown 20 per cent over the last year and the number of consumers has grown 10 per cent. Pizza Hut, also part of the Yum! portfolio, is growing, but at a slower pace as it’s much bigger than KFC in spread, with 150 outlets across the country and price points that are “two times that of KFCâ€. It has grown 6-7 per cent over the previous year and is adding about 15 outlets a year. Read on…