KFC keen to increase veggie platter

KFC, the world leader in chicken quick service restaurants (founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, though it has formalised the abbreviation), is keen to increase its vegetarian offerings in this country to cater to the interest of a large majority of Indians.

Unnat Verma, director, marketing, says: “If one has to grow as a large brand, it’s important to cater to the needs of a mass majority. We cannot overlook vegetarians, who comprise almost one-third of the population. These are (also) the ones who have veto power to decide on the eatery or food-joint. We didn’t want this veto power to work against us, especially when 95 per cent of eating-out occasions are group ones. So, we decided to extend our vegetarian menu.”

The company maintains that while they would increase their vegetarian offerings, they would not play with the sacrosanct DNA of their recipe, developed on taste and quality pillars after understanding consumers’ nuances over many years.

These pillars are a secret of 11 herbs and spices, usage of real ingredients ranging from 100 per cent whole-muscle real chicken to pure vegetables, freshly prepared dishes in the in-built kitchen of the restaurant rather than factory-made ingredients, and separate fryers, utensils, tongs and cold storage for vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. Verma adds, “These minute details play a significant role in building the quality and service of your brand. We want to assure vegetarians their interests will be safeguarded in terms of hygiene, value and cleanliness. They can walk into our kitchens anytime to check.”

The vegetarian menu presently comprises ‘Veggie snacker’, with a crunchy chana patty, ‘Corn-on-the-cob’ signature-flavoured ‘Veg rice’, ‘Veg strips with salsa’, ‘Coleslaw (salad)’, ‘Krushers’ and desserts, with the addition of ‘Veg zinger’ in July. KFC plans to further strengthen its vegetarian menu by adding new products. Verma says, “Within 10 days of its launch, we sold about 100,000 units of Veg zinger, which is a very good sign. The vegetarian arm has grown from contributing five per cent of total sales until last year to more than 10 per cent this year.”

Pushing variety
Adding: “Small burger i.e. veggie snacker with chickpeas, would be the next development in our portfolio. We are working on its taste-enhancement by injecting new flavours. This would hit all our stores by early next month. In the last two years, we have come up with 20 new products, adding more variety in our menu.”

KFC presently operates in 21 cities, both metros and mini-metros. It recently opened its 100th store in Bangalore. Verma says, “We plan to complete 500 stores over the next five years.” KFC started its operations in India in 1996 and started expanding from 2006 in smaller cities such as Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Kochi.

KFC’s selection of menu is a result of a detailed lifestyle analysis of the vegetarian people. KFC decided the life of a vegetarian was much more than being limited to a potato or paneer. “So, we came out with ‘Veg zinger’, that is a signature veg and the best-tasting burger in the country. Its patty is made of seven basic vegetables. Also, the crumbs are exported from Singapore to maintain its exotic taste. Each product will be the outcome of detailed research and will ensure it maintains its uniqueness,” adds Verma.

While the core of the brand still remains chicken, as is self-explicit by the brand name, KFC says it is determined to add variety, saying having chicken in its name doesn’t deter it from bringing new offerings.

Verma adds, “Our positioning is ‘irresistible, finger licking and great tasting food.’ It has nothing to do with the variety. Whatever we offer has to pass through the filters of these standards. We come out with products that are popular in a catchment area. We included fish recipes in Southeast Asian markets, like we have vegetarian dishes in India. The idea is just to make it a more popular brand.”