Why 500 Domino's stores in India are turning vegetarian next month
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in India, plan in accordance with local religious sentiments. Domino’s Pizza seems to be getting it.
About 500 Domino's Pizza outlets will not serve non-vegetarian products across north, central, and parts of west India for nine days next month. The occasion is Navratri, which means nine nights in Sanskrit, when millions of Hindus fast and pray.
During this period they strictly avoid non-vegetarian products during this period, especially in Northern and Western regions of the country. Navratri begins on Oct. 1 this year. The nine-day period has traditionally seen a sharp drop in consumption of non-veg products in India.
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India is an important market for Domino's with over 1,000 stores in nearly 250 cities, its largest outside the United States.
India is an important market for Domino's with over 1,000 stores in nearly 250 cities, its largest outside the United States. It is also the largest pizza brand in India with roughly 70 percent of the market share.
Domino's rivals have tried tinkering with their food menus to better serve Indians as well. KFC, for instance, occasionally increases its vegetarian offering and Indians seem to be loving it. In 2014, for instance, after KFC introduced "so veg, so good" offer, the sales of its veg items increased by 50 percent.
"Consumption of non-vegetarian food reduces significantly during this time. This move is an acknowledgement that though we are a global brand, we are conscious about consumer needs. It's about making a statement to consumers," Domino's Pizza India President, Dev Amritesh, told Economic Times.
The move comes as Domino’s Pizza struggles to sell pizzas and other products in India. Jubilant FoodWorks, the exclusive India franchisee for Domino’s Pizza and Dunkin’ Donut, announced a 3.2 percent year-on-year drop in same-store sales growth during the period between April and June.
The pizza chain also hopes that people purchase more products before Navratri's slow season begins. Hence it has begun offering users special offers such as its popular "buy one, get one free" pizza over the past few days.
