A KFC burger

Park Street, Calcutta’s big-bite corridor, is laying the table for a burger battle. With KFC poised to serve it up post-Puja and McDonald’s eyeing a space diagonally opposite it, this is as big as it gets.

First up, the fabled Colonel Sanders’ ‘Original Recipe’ chicken made with the trademark “secret blend” of 11 herbs and spices, also known as KFC. After taking City Centre by storm with its formula of 1930s vintage from Louisville Kentucky, the “world’s largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain” is ready to unveil its second city outlet on Park Street around Diwali.

The 140-seater eatery coming up at 20K, Park Street — the premises opposite Peter Cat that used to house Aavishkar — will be KFC’s flagship restaurant in Calcutta, spread across 3,600 sq ft over two levels, ground and mezzanine.

A McDonald’s burger

And then there’s the food bazaar buzz that Big Mac is coming to Blue Fox, shut for over a year because of labour trouble. The management, headed by catering king Munna Maharaj, has announced plans to reopen as “a full-fledged fast-food restaurant”. Mum was the official word, but sources said talks had reached the final stages and next week could be crucial for Calcutta cracking the Big Mac code.

McDonald’s officials, on their part, reiterated that expansion in the east was high on their priority list, but “no location has been finalised”.

The mood on Park Street is already buoyant, thanks to the burger beat.

“KFC coming here is the best thing that could have happened to Park Street. With McDonald’s also set to come soon, the glory days of the heritage F&B zone should be back,” says Baba Kothari, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India and owner of Bar-B-Q.

For Yum! Brands Inc and KFC’s regional franchisee Devyani International, the biggest learning curve from City Centre has been that size does matter. The 80-cover restaurant, that opened on June 22 last year, overflows with an average weekend footfall of 3,000. The Park Street KFC will be double the size to ensure “zero waiting”, and the target is to do a daily business of “at least Rs 1 lakh”.

A third KFC is scheduled to come up inside the New Market underground parking lot by February 2007 to cash in on the “lack of organised F&B options” around the Lindsay Street courtyard.