The Park Street McDonald’s. A Telegraph picture

McDonald’s plans to open three more restaurants in Calcutta by the year-end, buoyed by the response to its maiden outlet on Park Street.

The restaurant has been clocking average footfalls of 5,500 daily. The chain will make front-end investment of about Rs 10 crore on the new restaurants.

“We have been pleasantly surprised by the huge response in Calcutta, which is at least 20 per cent more than our projections. It gives us the confidence to go ahead with our expansion plans,” Vikram Bakshi, joint venture partner and managing director, McDonald’s India (North & East region), tells Metro.

McDonald’s, the global leader in the quick-service informal eat-out segment, is gearing up to roll out around 15 outlets in the city over the next four to five years, in all its three principal formats — high-street, mall and Drive-Thru.

The Mani group said an agreement has been inked with Mani Square. Other deals are nearing completion.

“Initially, our restaurants would be large, each seating around 150, since we need to penetrate the market. Then, we will look at smaller formats. We know Calcutta has waited for long and there is a pent-up demand because of the teaser TV ads. Now, we have the start-up infrastructure in place and can move ahead,” Bakshi assures die-hard fans of Big Mac, the signature dish of the chain.

McDonald’s is also studying the feasibility of opening an outlet in the airport’s secured area, like it has done in the Delhi airport, since “so many passengers are often forced to wait in the flights-delayed scenario”.

Talks are also on with oil companies for fuel-station outlets, while the Express model with a limited menu, the Kiosk model that offers desserts and beverages only and home delivery (McDelivery) will follow, once the “right-sizing of operations” starts.

Finding “reliable quality supplies” is a priority for the company, which feeds 50 million customers every day of the year internationally and over 3.5 lakh customers per day in India. It now has its city distribution centre in Kasba, but flies in its buns flash-frozen from its approved bakery in Delhi. Hunt is on for suitable supply partners in Calcutta.

“The foray into Calcutta was not just an entry to a new market, but another step towards learning about a rich culture and heritage. For us, Park Street was a dream destination to kick off. Our restaurant ambience and décor have been designed to blend seamlessly with the zone’s heritage,” pointed out the managing director.

McDonald’s, which now has 102 restaurants in the country, offers a localised menu to suit the palate of Indian consumers. “Over 70 per cent of our menu is localised and we are always keeping our ears to the ground for customer feedback. Calcutta can expect more regional fare in the months to come,” promises Bakshi.