After weak Q1, QSR firms pin hopes on second half

• Fast food chains remain bullish on store additions

- VIVEAT SUSAN PINTO

QUICK-SERVICE RESTAURANTS ARE counting on a recovery in the second half of the current financial year, as soft consumer demand continued to plague them in the April-June period, considered seasonally strong. Barring Jubilant Food Works, which reported same-store sales growth (SSG) of 11-12% for the third straight quarter, most players saw weak SSG in the first quarter of FY26. Westlife FoodWorld, which runs McDonald's in the west and south of India, for instance, saw flat SSG (0.5%) in the June quarter. Restaurant Brands Asia, which runs Burger King outlets, reported low single-digit SSG at 2.6%. And firms such as Sapphire Foods and Devyani International, both franchisees of KFC and Pizza Hut, reported negative SSG in the quarter.