#LockdownTales – Man in Mumbai Orders 100 Packets of McDonald’s Piri Piri Seasoning

Mumbai, 12th May 2020: We all know this quarantine is taking a toll on everybody. We are all either too bored or too worked up and food is probably the only thing making us the happiest every day. However, seems like lockdown 3.0 is making people do exceptional things with every passing day because something crazy happened at McDonald’s India in Mumbai today. To unleashing his pent up cravings with a vengeance, Mikhail J Verma from Mumbai ordered 100 packets of McDonald’s Piri-Piri seasoning. Yes, you got that right, 100 PACKETS!

Who does not love Piri-Piri? We all do! But Mikhail’s love for the seasoning made him stock up his kind of daily essential! We spoke to Mikhail and he told us that he now wants to add his favourite seasoning to almost anything he eats.

Well, we cannot blame him! McDonald’s Piri Piri is a mix of many exotic spices, much like the Indian spice cabinet. It is a blend of ground spices like salt, chilli, black pepper, garlic, tamarind, onion, sugar, citric acid and herbs. What makes the spice even more enticing is that it is almost coarsely grounded and therefore coats better than a finely ground spice would, giving it that authentic traditional flavor that Indians love.

Well, we hope Mikhail’s enjoying his fresh and ‘more than enough’ stock of Piri-Piri. Do not worry, we will keep you posted on how he plans to use this in his day to day delicacies!

McDonald’s India introduces a unique ‘Work from Home’ policy for its Restaurant Management Team and Frontline Crew

The move is aimed to keep the team productively engaged and ensure that they continue to learn and grow despite the lock-down

Mumbai, 07 April 2020: Westlife Development Ltd that owns and operates McDonald’s Restaurants in West and South India has introduced a unique ‘Work From Home’ policy for its restaurant management teams and the frontline crew, who are unable to go to work due to the nation-wide lock down. The move is intended to keep the youth of the country productively engaged in these unprecedented times and upskill them for a strong comeback as soon as normalcy resumes.

The company has adapted many of its classroom training modules digitally, and introduced e-learning modules, quizzes, masterclasses by managers and many more creative learning sessions, which employees can access on their phone while in quarantine at home. This initiative by Westlife Development is aimed to make sure that the team continues to learn and grow even when they are staying home.

The e-learning modules include McCafé masterclass, equipment masterclass and a number of development and orientation programs for employees across different positions in the restaurants, among others. The initiative is set to benefit the company’s close to 10,000 employees, who can access these modules at the click of a button on their digital devices including mobile phones.

The company has created a strong framework to support employees through the process and track their progress on a regular basis. This has been enabled by the company’s strong digital capabilities that have been developed to support agility and innovation.

Speaking on this one-of-a-kind initiative, Seema Arora Nambiar, Senior Vice President, Menu, Marketing and People Resources at McDonald’s India West and South says “At McDonald’s India, we are committed to the well-being and growth of our people. In these unprecedented times, we have created this unique program to make sure that our crew is empowered to use their time efficiently. Through this, we hope to keep our people engaged, connected and motivated, so they are able to come back to work better and stronger.”

About Westlife Development:

Westlife Development Limited (BSE: 505533) (WDL) focuses on putting up and operating Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) in India through its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. The Company operates a chain of McDonald’s restaurants in west and south India, having a master franchisee relationship with McDonald’s Corporation USA, through the latter’s Indian subsidiary. Marquee investors such as Arisaig India Fund Ltd, SBI Mutual Fund, Tree Line Asia Master Fund (Singapore) and Ward Ferry Fund, among others are stakeholders in WDL.

About Hardcastle Restaurants:

Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (HRPL) is a McDonald’s franchisee with rights to own and operate McDonald’s restaurants in India’s west and south markets. HRPL has been a franchisee in this part of India since its inception in 1996.

HRPL serves approximately 200 million customers, annually, at its 315 (as of December 31, 2019) McDonald’s restaurants across 42 cities in the states of Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and parts of Madhya Pradesh, and provides direct employment to over 10,000 employees. McDonald’s operates through various formats and brand extensions including standalone restaurants, drive- thru’s, 24/7, McDelivery and dessert Kiosks. The menu features Burgers, Finger Foods, Wraps and Hot and Cold Beverages besides a wide range of desserts. Several of the McDonald’s Restaurants feature an in-house McCafé.

The pillars of the McDonald's system – Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value – are evident at each of the restaurants where HRPL operates.

#CustomerFirst - McDonald’s India upholds its promise of serving safe and hygienic food

The restaurant chain is taking airtight measures to ensure a hygienic & safe experience

Mumbai, March 14 2020: In the wake of the current health crisis, Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald’s restaurant in West and South India, is leading the way for the eating out industry by walking the talk as to serving safe and hygienic food. The restaurant chain that always had world-class health and hygiene practices is reinforcing its safety processes and is going the extra mile and leaving no stone unturned to give customers safe and hygienic food and experience. McDonald’s India - one of the few QSRs to have a closed loop supply chain – is reinforcing its safety processes right from the suppliers’ end to its restaurants.

Speaking on the action taken by McDonald’s, Smita Jatia, Managing Director, Westlife Development, says “Our customers are at the heart of all our efforts. QSCV – Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value have been the cornerstone of our business since inception. Our food is 100% traceable to the farms that use world-class farming technologies to create best-in-class produce, it is transported using cold chain and at the restaurants, it is handled and served with unparalleled hygiene. In the view of the current health crisis, we are proactively stepping up our existing processes to create an even more safe and hygienic environment for our customers.”

Hygiene practices being followed by McDonald’s in West and South

• All kitchen staff handle food with gloves, that are changed every few hours
• All food trays are sanitized after every use
• Tray mats are changed after every use
• The crew washes their hands every hour for 20 seconds with antimicrobial handwash
• The tables are sanitized after every use
• Separate colour- coded cleaning cloths are used to handle veg and non-veg food
• Separate mops are used for the restaurant lobby and the kitchen
• The washroom is regularly sanitized
• 3- sink sanitization process – wash, clean and sanitize
• The cleaning mops are washed in running hot water to ensure complete sanitization
• A regular ‘PH’ test is done to ensure strength of the sanitizer
•  A ‘Clean as you go ‘ process is followed to ensure cleanliness across all touch-points

Heightened sanitation processed being deployed in ensure safety

• Regular monitoring of key health parameters for all crew members
• Monitoring of travel history and family health of our crew
• Credit cards machines are getting sanitized regularly
• Self-dispensing coke machine panel is being  sanitized regularly
• The table trackers are being sanitized regularly
• All other customers touch points like Self-Ordering Kiosk or SOK screen, door handles,  hand rails are also being sanitized regularly

In addition to this, the company is keeping a close check on its supply chain for the welfare of its consumers. It has stringent scanning methods for all suppliers and is ensuring that all suppliers have food safety management systems at their plants. They are making sure that employees at their suppliers’ end also go through stringent hygiene checks before entering the plant or going for their shifts. Each minute detail in the food safety process is given the utmost attention by the company.

About Westlife Development:

Westlife Development Limited (BSE: 505533) (WDL) focuses on putting up and operating Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) in India through its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. The Company operates a chain of McDonald’s restaurants in west and south India, having a master franchisee relationship with McDonald’s Corporation USA, through the latter’s Indian subsidiary. Marquee investors such as Arisaig India Fund Ltd, SBI Mutual Fund, Tree Line Asia Master Fund (Singapore) and Ward Ferry Fund, among others are stakeholders in WDL.

About Hardcastle Restaurants:

Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (HRPL) is a McDonald’s franchisee with rights to own and operate McDonald’s restaurants in India’s west and south markets. HRPL has been a franchisee in this part of India since its inception in 1996.

HRPL serves approximately 200 million customers, annually, at its 315 (as of December 31, 2019) McDonald’s restaurants across 42 cities in the states of Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and parts of Madhya Pradesh, and provides direct employment to over 10,000 employees. McDonald’s operates through various formats and brand extensions including standalone restaurants, drive- thru’s, 24/7, McDelivery and dessert Kiosks. The menu features Burgers, Finger Foods, Wraps and Hot and Cold Beverages besides a wide range of desserts. Several of the McDonald’s Restaurants feature an in-house McCafé.

The pillars of the McDonald's system – Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value – are evident at each of the restaurants where HRPL operates.