Is Bengaluru’s appetite for fast food restaurants waning?

Quick-service restaurants have flagged weakening demand in the key market

- Vaishnavi Kasthuri & Sowmya Ramasubramanian

Like other QSR chains, McDonald's operator Westlife Foodworld also pointed to Bengaluru-its second-largest market in the South-as a drag.

(HT)

Bengaluru has turned into a tougher market for quickservice restaurant (QSR) chains as footfalls decline, rentals stay high, and customers opt for more gourmet food choices, weakening the city’s reputation as a dependable growth engine.

Jubilant FoodWorks, which operates the country's largest QSR chain Domino's; Westlife Foodworld, which runs McDonald's; and Barbeque Nation have pointed to slowing growth or a decline in sales in the southern city.

Analysts estimate that Bengaluru ranks among the top three cities for QSR operators, alongside Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, although the exact revenue contribution isn’t available. But the strain is becoming pronounced when such chains grapple with a broader slowdown in discretionary spending.

Earlier this month, Jubilant said the city has been one of its slowest-growing metros over the past year, with Domino’s same-store sales muted despite aggressive value-led offers and digital pushes. Its store addition has tapered here, with the firm prioritising consolidation and smaller-format outlets.