Fast Food companies focus on their secret menu

Papa John’s International, Inc. has announced the appointment of Todd Penegor as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. 

Penegor has also joined the Company’s Board of Directors. 

He succeeds Ravi Thanawala, who has served as Interim CEO since March 2024 and will continue in his role as Chief Financial Officer.

Penegor, most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of The Wendy’s Company, is a proven leader with 20 years of experience in the restaurant and consumer goods industries. During his tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer of Wendy’s, the company achieved substantial growth in sales, earnings and new restaurant counts, including the expansion of Wendy’s footprint to more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide and the 12th consecutive year of same-restaurant sales growth, among other achievements. 

“Todd’s appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer successfully concludes an extensive search to identify a proven leader who has the experience, skills and vision to achieve the full potential of the Papa Johns brand and accelerate growth,” said Christopher Coleman, Chair of the Papa Johns Board of Directors. 

“I am honored to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Papa Johns and work with the Board, our dedicated team members and franchisees to usher in the Company’s next chapter,” said Penegor. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Michigan State University.
 

In the fast-paced landscape of Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), CYK Hospitalities emerges as a pivotal player, driving strategic growth and expansion for brands across India. Over the past three months, the firm has achieved significant milestones in bolstering its leasing portfolio, capitalizing on the burgeoning urbanization and evolving food trends sweeping the nation.

Simranjeet Singh, Director, CYK Hospitalities, said, “With India’s rapid urbanization, the QSR industry has witnessed phenomenal growth over the past few years. This growth has been fueled by the rise of homegrown brands and the entry of international chains. However, for these brands to thrive, it’s crucial to secure the right location with the appropriate target audience. This is where our expertise in leasing comes into play.”

Partnering with esteemed names in the F&B industry such as The Waffle Company, Burger King, and Samosa Singh, CYK Hospitalities has curated a diverse leasing portfolio, expanding its reach into beauty brands like Lovechild by Masaba. Pulkit Arora, Director at CYK Hospitalities, emphasizes the pivotal role of strategic leasing in QSR success, offering prime locations that fuel profitability and customer engagement.

Nidhi Singh, Co-Founder, Samosa Singh said, “CYK Hospitalities' expert service in leasing has been instrumental in identifying ideal locations for our brand in Bengaluru. Their valuable insights and thorough research is commendable. We anticipate a long and fruitful association with them!"

Mexican inspired restaurant Taco Bell has introduced Cheesy G Taco - a delicious new limited-time offering to its existing diverse menu.

The new Cheesy G Taco is a craveable combination of soft, cheesy and crunchy in one wholesome offering an overload of textures and flavors. The warm, soft flatbread, layered with nacho cheese is wrapped around a crunchy taco that is filled with seasoned stuffing, zesty ranch sauce and crispy lettuce.

The Cheesy G Taco is a limited time offering, available with Unlimited Pepsi at all Taco Bell restaurants across India at INR 99 for the vegetarian variant and INR 119 for the non-vegetarian variant.

Gaurav Burman, Director, Burman Hospitality Private Limited, Taco Bell’s exclusive franchise partner in India, said, “Taco Bell, India, constantly strives to offer our consumers the best, innovative, and craveable value-offerings. The Cheesy G Taco is the ultimate combination of soft, cheesy, and crunchy layers making it a unique experience for all food lovers. We are excited to be launching this product and are certain that anyone who tries the Cheesy G Taco will fall in love with it.”

Engaging consumers with the exciting new launch is a digital campaign, amplifying the “Three Layers Awesomeness” in the Cheesy G Taco. This indulgent and decadent offering has been brought to life in the brand’s latest digital film, released on its social media platforms.

The Cheesy G Taco is available for a limited-time, December 2022 – February 2023, across all Taco Bell restaurants in India, and take-away.

Taco Bell operates over 7000 restaurants in more than 30 markets including the United States, with the expansion still continuing across the globe.   

Burman Hospitality entered into a strategic partnership with Taco Bell with a vision to establish the world’s largest Mexican Inspired food chain in India. In 2019, Burman Hospitality became the master franchisee for Taco Bell India. Burman Hospitality aims to have a pan India presence with more than 600 outlets by 2029. 

McDonald’s India West and South has announced the launch of the Happy Meal Readers program.

As part of the initiative, children will now get books in the iconic Happy Meal® by McDonald’s.

These books are aimed at feeding the curiosity of children and encouraging reading as a habit by making reading fun. The new Happy Meal will now contain a choice of burger, a beverage, a cup of hot, steamed corn and a book.

“Just like parents want the best for their children, we at McDonald’s constantly work towards creating offerings that add value to the lives of all our young customers. Books play a pivotal role with our young customers, given that their curious minds are always looking for answers,” shared Arvind R P, Director - Marketing & Communications at McDonald’s India (West & South).

The collection of books in the Happy Meal Readers program is curated by award-winning British author Cressida Cowell, who is popularly known for her multiple children’s series and is currently the Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2019 – 2022).

She has written a collection of 12 books, especially for McDonald’s, of which two will be launched every month. The 12-book collection titled ‘Tiny Detectives’ will give children a chance to delve into imaginative tales of trees, spiders, stars, koala bears and more.

These books are specially written for the curious minds of 6-year-old children and above, answering questions they often seek answers for from their parents.

Consumers will have the option to choose from the two books when they buy a Happy Meal at McDonald’s stores in West and South India.

McDonald’s India- North and East has introduced 3-piece meals starting at just INR99*.

This is a part of McDonald’s commitment to offering incredible value to its customers while serving up more of the delicious food customers crave.

The new 3-piece meals feature a choice of burgers from all time McDonald’s favourites like McAlooTikki or McEgg, or popular classics such as Chicken McGrill, McVeggie or McChicken, along with fries and coke.

These meals will be available for a limited time at McDonald’s restaurants in North and East India across platforms including McDelivery, drive-thru’s, take away, or in-store (wherever allowed by the local authorities).

Customers can also place their McDelivery order via WhatsApp by simply sending ‘Hi’ to 9953916666 and following easy steps.

“We have built this menu with variety and value firmly in mind for value and satiation seeking customers. Customers can enjoy their favourite McDonald’s menu items at a great value offered with McDonald’s elevatedfood safetyand hygiene standards,” said, Rajeev Ranjan, Chief Operating Officer, McDonald’s India – North and East.

McDonald’s restaurants in North and East of India are operated by Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd.  It operates 150 restaurants across North and East of India and provides direct employment to more than 5,000 people.

Charcoal Eats, a full-stack quick service restaurant (QSR) start-up, has recently announced two exciting additions to its menu - Pav Wows and Rice Bowls.

The company has paired the famous Mumbai pav with smoky veg and non-veg starters. The result is a delightful range of Pav Wows - Aloo Tikki, Dahi Ke Kebab, Hara Bhara Kebab, Veg Galouti, Chicken Seekh Kebab and Chicken Galouti. Starting at INR 39, Pav Wows offer a wholesome all-day option, at very affordable prices.

For office goers, Charcoal Eats has introduced Rice Bowls, a warm comforting meal of delicious curries made in desi ghee, paired with fragrant ghee and lavang rice. The options range from the evergreen, almost universal favourites, Rajma, Amritsari Chole and Dal Makhani, to the rich, tempting Paneer Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala. Starting Rs. 229, these Rice Bowls offer a quick, convenient meal-for-one for those on the go. Rice Bowls are currently available at all Charcoal Eats outlets in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, with the other cities being added very soon.

Talking about the latest addition to the menu, Anurag Mehrotra, Co-founder and CEO of Charcoal Eats says, "Listening to our customers over a period of time, we decided to add rice bowls and curries to our ever-growing menu. We have brought interesting variants in both the categories to satiate the taste buds of all foodies."

"The humble pav has an appeal that cuts through geographies and age groups. Our chefs have paired popular street food that has seen acceptance across the age groups when combined with our smoky treats, we are certain that it would resonate with Indian taste palate. It is a compact and whole meal appropriate for lunchtime in convenient packaging," he further adds.

The company constantly looks to introduce interesting Indian cuisine choices, for every age group, in its tastefully curated menu. Charcoal Eats started with six biryani variants and today serves over 50 different options, ranging from their signature biryanis to the comforting rice bowls, from smoky starters to mouthwatering curries, and for their younger audiences, addictively loaded French fries, pav wows, soul-satisfying rolls, sinful desserts and non-alcoholic beverages for instant freshness.

Currently, Charcoal Eats is present across 13 Indian cities including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Gurugram, Chennai, Nashik, Indore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Jamshedpur with 43 outlets.

Charcoal Eats prepares its food in best-in-class, modern, hygienic kitchens; uses high-quality ingredients, and strictly avoids any artificial flavours, colours or MSG. A direct impact of these measures can be seen in the company's high repeat rate.

Online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy has said it would use privately-run ICICI Bank to allow its delivery fleet to make digital payments.

"Through the use of Unified Payment Interface (UPI)-based solution for instant fund transfers and automated cash deposit machines at ICICI Bank branches and ATMs across the country, the delivery fleet will have a hassle-free way of transferring funds," the company said in a statement.

Swiggy operates with a fleet of over 20,000 delivery persons delivering food from over 25,000 restaurants across 12 cities.

With cash-on-delivery being a widely used method of payment on the platform, the digital payment methods allow the delivery men to quickly transfer the funds to Swiggy, saving their time, according to the statement.

"With the delivery fleet being the backbone of Swiggy, the adoption of the digital payment solutions will support the ease of operations and save their time and thousands of kilometres of travel," said the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Rahul Bothra in the statement.

The digital payment methods will also help in preventing any cash leakages, the company said.

Founded in 2014, Swiggy aims to "change the way India eats" and is currently operational in cities like New Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai among a few others.

Barcelos, South African restaurant chain is looking to reach Rs 200 crore turnover and open 30 outlets in the country over the next four years.

The company, which opened its first restaurant in India in New Delhi in March, plans to invest USD 5 million by fiscal 2017 to expand its footprint in the country.

"Since our first store, we spent time in understanding our customers, working on the menu and finding right locations to open our outlets. By fiscal 2017, we plan to open about 10 more outlets. We will open four outlets by end of current fiscal," said Rohit Malhotra, Barcelos GM Operations.

He further said, "We plan to invest USD 5 million by fiscal 2017. With about 25-30 outlets in India, we are targeting Rs 200 crore turnover in four years time."

The casual dining restaurant chain's new outlets will be a combination of company owned and franchised stores, he added.

Its new outlets will come up in Delhi-NCR, Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa and Kolkata. The company is also in the process of expanding its menu and increasing food and beverage offerings, said Malhotra.

Presently, Barcelos is in 18 countries including the UK, Sweden and the Middle East. It operates more than 120 outlets across the world.