Ever since London-based sandwich franchise chain Pret a Manger announced its entry into India last year (with plans to launch by July 2023) Indians have been on high alert. Not because Pret is a much loved brand, but because the menu of every international restaurant chain in India ultimately gets taken over by "India specials": tandoori chicken sandwiches, aloo-paneer combos, a needless dusting of peri peri, corn-cheese hybrid nightmares.
It's happened with Subway, McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, Burger King, Wendy's, Hard Rock Café, Auntie Anne's and Tim Horton's already. No one has Michelin-level expectations from a chickenpepperoni pizza or tandoori sub. But it sucks.
Restaurant consultant Parul Pratap, executive chef at Delhi's Music & Mountains, and former F&B consultant Vaibhav Goswamy, who owns Prayagraj's popular Eden Café, explain why things so often go wrong.
The India cliché: "
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Rohit Chawla
Photographer, artist, @RohitChawlaPhotography_
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