Sid Khullar Ji,

Tuhadi photo shoto vekh ke lagda hai ki tussi khana khande kam ho aur platan slatan jyada vekhate ho. you have many choice why do you go to sbarro kbarro. Be Indian, Eat Indian. Desi khana sabse sona hai khullar ji. Agar khana hi hai to America Shamerica jakar sbarro main kha liya karo.

You can’t even walk 10 more steps at eat something else at the foodcourt at TGI Place, but sadda-do oops… typo sbarro.
(Nahin to restaurant manager 5 page ka explanation bhej dega with free coupons, coz he knowz NO ONE will ever come to eat, even for free)

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“Why would an ‘authentic Italian’ resto want to sell from display?”

For Toni:

Let me try to explain it, you’ll get the idea what Authentic means in India.

When people(customers) in UK, Europe or US are told in the ad or promotion material, that there will be an “Authentic” Italian(or XYZ) Food Festival or “Authentic” Italian(XYZ) Flea Market at a Mall or Hotel, then the organizers make their best effort that it is Really Authentic. Hence, it is Authentic.

When people(customers) in “INDIA” are told the same thing, the organizer and the whole of the management from top to bottom, say “only a 5-7% Indians would have been to Italy and that too for a week’s visit, How the hell they would know what is Italian food or what a typical Italian market would look like”.

Give them, local pizzawala and put a board on top of their stall that says in Bold letter Authentic Italian Pizzas. Or Authentic Italian Flea market with no 1 single Italian owner of the stall or company.

Yes, McDonalds could be considered as a very good example – the food they serve isn’t exactly gourmet, but it’s the same taste and experience anywhere you go, with the exception of the Preet Vihar and Delhi-Jaipur highway, where they seem to have gone to great cost and effort in procuring a time machine to transport neanderthals to man the counters.

Taco Bell huh? Can’t wait. the more the merrier.

I had a long chat with a friend about franchising in India especially regarding foreign brands, he is a top boy in Asian marketing at an FMCG major. One of the things he mentioned was that most franchisees here have a hard time maintain quality of food and services, they cut corners to thicken up the bottom line and this is why the brand suffers.

According to him the biggest example of this is KFC, the brand never took off like it should have though it was the first one here. They had a bad product scare some years ago, recently they didn’t even have proper plates and tableware at their huge outlet in Bandra. This is not to say they are doing badly, just that they aren’t expanding as they should.

McDonalds according to him is a good example of franchising because the outlets are controlled by very few franchisees who were selected after a long drawn out process. McDonalds also expanded fairly slowly but surely, they have maintained a better branding and quality mix. I think its all about finding the right master franchisee, who will not assault the brands integrity and reputation to make a quicker buck.

Taco Bell has been mulling entry into India and the word is they have decided against franchising, they will go with 10 company owned stores to keep control of product and service quality. The lack of training and abysmal attitude towards customer service is why a great deal of international chains are struggling..

You’re right about the fact that deviations from SOP can have a disastrous effect on overall experience. Let me make another point:
Restaurants in India often begin on a strong note, when their promoters take a personal interest in all aspects of the experience, but often allow mediocrity to creep in. My own experiences with Sbarro at Nehru Place attests to that. Pizza slices sold by display can be a lovely, informal & fun meal (or in-between), but Sbarro has deteriorated between Feb 08 to now. Been there 4 times (nearby multiplex), and ordered the exact same items (pepperoni and cheese slices). Seen the quality of the dough and meats go downhill.
That’s why, the eateries that manage to stay true to their proposition become institutions, and provide the customer with an assured level of performance.

We had a superb evening of Italian food yesterday. Italian bread served with olives and a dipping dish of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil followed by Whitebait, freshly cooked and served with lemon slices and a small salad. D choose a veal escalope in a creamy sauce which came with freshly cooked vegetables and I chose Torteloni which were stuffed with soft cheese, pancetta and basil in a tomato based sauce which included more pancetta and Italian sausage. Everything was done to perfection, including the service. I had wine with the meal (D had Peroni beer) and an espresso and grappa to finish. Perhaps we’ll take you there the next time you visit?