In a country where most restaurants are closed between 11 and 1 am, eating out at night can be quite challenging. However, with the passing of the Model Shop & Establishment Act, things can change. And that means things can change at McDonald’s as well.
If the implementation happens, one can order a Chicken Maharaja Mac with Iced Tea during the wee hours of the night. Sounds like a perfect answer to late night hunger pangs or midnight dinner plans.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Amit Jatia, Vice Chairman, Westlife Development, said that 24×7 stores have worked well for McDonald’s globally and the same can be expected in India after the implementation of the Model Shop Act.
On being asked how long it would take for the 24×7 stores to start operations, Amit Jatia says, “Of course in terms of implementation it does take time but the good news is that it means incremental jobs and incremental revenue from the government because keeping restaurants open 24×7 generally means an increase in the business as well. Consumers in urban cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad are looking for places to eat at beyond 10-11 pm, which is the current closing time. It will take us 3-6 months to implement it but it is a very progressive and forward looking move by the government.”
But would a 24×7 restaurant model work for McDonald’s?
“I am pretty confident that if we invest in it and keep the restaurants open, say in a city like Mumbai or any other metros to start with, and as consumers start getting familiar with the fact that they can now come to a restaurant as late as they want, it may work out quite favourably in long term. However, we still have to get the business model right for that. Globally though, as I mentioned earlier, it has worked well.
