Map
Case

McDonald's in India: opening without beef or pork (1996)

McDonald's first restaurant in India opened in New Delhi in October 1996 with no beef or pork on the menu; the Maharaja Mac used two mutton patties and the menu included vegetable burgers (AP). The Christian Science Monitor called it the first restaurant in the 19,400-strong chain not to offer beef and pork derivatives. McDonald's 2025 Form 10-K describes a substantially uniform menu with geographic variations to suit local tastes, and says about 95% of its 45,356 restaurants were franchised.

Industry
Quick-service restaurants (USA)
Frameworks applied
Integration–responsiveness grid
Clipboard with a glass checklist panel, icon for consulting

Frameworks applied

This case is read through the frameworks below.

  • Integration–responsiveness gridWhen a leadership team takes its products into several foreign markets, should it standardise globally, adapt to each country, or combine both?

Sources

References

Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.

  1. Bryson, D. (1996) Mcd's Hopes India Won't Have A Cow: Hamburger Giant Brings Meatless Mac To New Delhi. The Spokesman-Review.No DOIspokesman.comCited in 1 article
  2. McDonald's Corporation (2026) Annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. Washington, DC: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.No DOIsec.govCited in 1 article
  3. Zubrzycki, J. (1996) To Curry Favor in India Debut, McDonald's Sells Maharaja Macs. The Christian Science Monitor.No DOIcsmonitor.comCited in 1 article