KFC, known for its fried chicken, can open shop in Ayodhya – if it serves veg food: Report
A report said the district administration of Ayodhya which is inviting food chains to set shop in the city has offered KFC to open an outlet near the Ram temple if it changes its menu into a vegetarian one
Popular American fast food joint Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC has been reportedly offered to set shop in Ayodhya city only if it knocks off non-vegetarian fare from its menu – a highly unlikely proposition for a chain which specialises in fried chicken dish.
In a report, MoneyControl quoted an official of the district administration as saying that KFC has been operating on the Ayodhya-Lucknow highway as the city doesn’t allow the sale of non-vegetarian food. The official added that KFC can operate in Ayodhya only if it adheres to the city’s vegetarian-only policy.
“KFC has set up its unit in Ayodhya-Lucknow highway because we do not allow non-vegetarian food items here. We are ready to provide even KFC a space if it decides to sell only vegetarian items,” Vishal Singh, a government official was quoted as saying by the business website.
“We have offers from big food chain outlets to set up their shops in Ayodhya. We welcome them with open arms, but there is only one restriction, that they should not serve non-vegetarian food items inside the panch Kosi,” he said.
Only-vegetarian food court to come up soon
The sale of non-vegetarian food, meat and liquor is banned in Ayodhya’s Panchkosi Parikrama Marg. The district administration had made the rule clear ahead of the opening of the Ram temple on January 22.
A massive influx of devotees visiting Ayodhya post the temple’s opening has also encouraged the district administration to offer big food chains to set shop in the city to cater to the crowd.
The report said that the Ayodhya Development Authority has already begun construction of a food plaza at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Ghat and the same will be ready this month. While over 19 lakh devotees visited the Ram temple till January 29, estimates say over three lakh people are expected to visit the city on a daily basis.
Domino’s Pizza falls in line, rakes in the moolah
Meanwhile, several food chains like Domino’s have tweaked their menu to an all-vegetarian version to operate inside Ayodhya city. Dinesh Yadav, who owns the Domino’s Pizza outlet close to the Ram temple and has tweaked the menu into a strictly vegetarian one, says he raked in ₹5,000 on the temple’s opening day itself.
Its competitor, Pizza Hut, located 8 km away from temple, however, hasn’t been as lucky despite making the menu all-vegetarian. Awadh Kumar Verma, who manages the outlet in the Mall of Awadh, says they are still looking for a space on the Ram Path to open their outlet close to the temple.
“Pizza Hut opened this shop around three months back when consecration dates were announced. We are looking for a shop at Ram Path because the crowd is in that area. We are having a fairly good business, but getting there would set the cash counter ticking,” he said.
Not just Ayodhya, several Indian cities known for their Hindu pilgrimage sites, like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Varanasi and Vrindavan also have a no-non-veg policy in place.
