Get ready to bite into a Big Mac again

The US-based foodservice retailer is not only going to reopen its Park Street outlet, but is also planning to launch its second shop within the next two months. The Park Street outlet was shut in November following a mysterious blast that badly damaged the restaurant.

The second McDonald's outlet will be off the EM Bypass at Mani Square Mall. A third outlet is also planned by the end of this year.

"We are planning to open 15 outlets in Kolkata in the next five years. The total investment will be Rs 100 crore, which is to include the backend infrastructure as well," said Vikram Bakshi, the joint venture partner and managing director, McDonald's India (Northern and Eastern Region).

According to Bakshi, the company is talking to all major real estate developers, including the likes of Unitech and DLF, for setting up McDonald's outlets at prime properties in Kolkata. The company is also talking to petroleum companies like Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to set up its first 'Drive-Thru' outlet in this part of the country.

"We have already signed a long-term agreement with BPCL regarding this," Bakshi said.

McDonald's is not only confining its presence to Kolkata, but plans to use the city as a hub from where it can explore Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri, and Darjeeling. These outlets, however, will come up only after it completes three years of full operations in Kolkata.

Bakshi admits that the company's expansion plans in Kolkata had been hit by the blast. Otherwise, McDonald's would have rolled out its full strategy for the region by now.

"The fact that we have not reopened our Park Street outlet in a hurry is because we want to look at every aspect from the scratch. We are looking at every bit of equipment," said Bakshi.

So is McDonald's worried about Kolkatans not warming up to the re-entry of the fast food giant after the blast at its Park Street outlet?

"Every day we are getting 10 hits on our website from Kolkata, with people asking us to reopen the joint," Bakshi confidently states.

Kolkata, in fact, has been a happy hunting ground for McDonald's. "Our outlet at Park Street had an average footfall of 5,500 people a day which is way higher than our national average," Bakshi said.