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Westlife Foodworld | McDonald's in west and south India, with neither beef nor pork

2026.09.19

Article summary

Westlife Foodworld is McDonald's master franchisee for west and south India, and its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants operates the stores. It began in 1995 as a joint venture with McDonald's, and became a sole operator when the head office sold its stake in 2011. Connaught Plaza, which covered the north and east, was fully acquired by McDonald's head office in 2019, so Westlife is currently the only master franchisee that is a third party. Consolidated revenue for FY2026 (fiscal year ended March 2026) was ₹2,626 crore (1 crore = 10 million rupees), with 482 stores as of the April to June 2026 quarter. It uses neither beef nor pork, and has rebuilt its lineup around products worked back from local tastes such as the Aloo Tikki Burger, with separate cooking equipment and workflow lines for vegetarian items.

This article is based on what we could verify As of September 19, 2026 This page is based on the disclosures and news reports from each company that we were able to confirm as of that date. Amounts in the text follow the notation commonly used in India, with ₹1 crore = 10 million rupees, and yen figures are approximations calculated at a little over 1.7 yen to the rupee. Store counts, funding raised, and results at Indian companies change over short periods, so when making a business decision, please check the latest information in primary sources such as each company's own announcements.

Westlife Foodworld is McDonald's master franchisee for west and south India. It is a company that rebuilt its lineup from the flagship product down, on the premise that it serves neither beef nor pork.

Company profile

Item	Details
Legal name	Westlife Foodworld Limited
Headquarters	Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Operations	Subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd
Consolidated revenue	₹2,626 crore (FY2026 = fiscal year ended March 2026 / approx. 45.7 billion yen). FY2025 was ₹2,491 crore
Number of stores	482 stores (as of the April to June 2026 quarter)
Territory covered	West India and south India
Listing	Listed on the BSE and NSE

How it rebuilt in a market where it cannot serve its flagship product

The cow is held sacred in Hinduism, and slaughter is restricted by law in many states. Muslims do not eat pork. The Big Mac, McDonald's global flagship, cannot be served in India as it is.

Westlife rebuilt its lineup around chicken and vegetarian items. The Aloo Tikki Burger, which puts a potato and spice patty in a bun, takes a street-stall staple (the aloo tikki potato cutlet) and works backward from local tastes. In place of the Big Mac sits the Chicken Maharaja Mac, a product created specifically for India. A vegetarian version is also offered.

The separation in the kitchen is thorough as well. Cooking equipment and workflow lines are separated between vegetarian products and everything else, which amounts to capital investment made to meet religious requirements.

The distance from McDonald's itself

It began in 1995 as a joint venture with McDonald's head office, and became a standalone franchisee after the head office sold its 50% stake in 2011. North and east India were once handled by Connaught Plaza Restaurants, but McDonald's head office fully acquired that company in 2019, so Westlife is currently the only master franchisee that is a third party.

Consolidated revenue for FY2026 (fiscal year ended March 2026) was ₹2,626 crore, up from ₹2,491 crore in FY2025. The store count as of the April to June 2026 quarter was 482. Across India as a whole, McDonald's store count is far short of Domino's Pizza's 2,455.

Points for Japanese companies

When a Japanese restaurant business enters India, the first question is whether it can serve its flagship product. A format built on beef, pork, animal-derived ingredients used for stock, or alcohol does not work as it stands. The Westlife example shows that even one of the world's largest brands rewrote most of its menu.

Catering to vegetarians is also not a matter of leaving the meat out. Cooking equipment, storage, frying oil and staff movement all have to be separated. It has to be built into the budget from the store design stage.