Meet the man who brought McDonald's to Meet The Man Who Brought McDonald’s to India | The BILLION DOLLAR Burger Empire & Birth of India's QSR Industry ft. Amit Jatia with Shrishti Sahu

12,000 Crores in market cap, Amit birthed the QSR Industry in India

Hello everyone, welcome to The India Opportunity Show where you get a front-row seat to people building India’s future. We talk about unlocking the potential of the country with founders, investors, creators, and successful leaders from different fields to bring you real-life stories and behind-the-scenes of what it takes to be at the forefront of building the India Story.

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When we think of iconic consumer stories in India, McDonald’s is right at the top. But behind its success here is one man’s vision, grit, and relentless execution — Amit Jatia.

As the Vice Chairman of Westlife Foodworld, Amit took a bold bet on bringing McDonald’s to India at a time when many believed the quick-service restaurant model wouldn’t work in this market. Not only did he prove the skeptics wrong, he went on to build one of the most successful QSR businesses in the country.

Under his leadership, Westlife Foodworld was taken public — and today, it commands a market cap of nearly ₹12,000 crores. That’s not just a financial milestone, it’s a testament to how a global brand can be reimagined for India while building a deeply profitable, scalable business.

From customizing menus for the Indian palate to scaling across geographies, to navigating real estate, supply chain, and consumer shifts, Amit Jatia has played the long game — and won.

In today’s conversation, we’ll dive into that extraordinary journey: the challenges of bringing a global giant to India, the decisions that shaped McDonald’s rise here, and what it really takes to list a company and grow it into a ₹12,000 crore powerhouse in India’s fast-changing consumer landscape.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

02:53 – Evolution of the QSR industry in India

06:00 – Why McDonald’s biggest competitor is Indian housewives

09:33 – How McDonald’s decides where to open a store

11:30 – Is McDonald’s actually in the real estate business?

16:27 – Challenging situations while building McDonald’s India

18:34 – How McDonald’s cracked breakeven in India

20:45 – Innovations in McDonald’s supply chain

24:15 – Mistakes made while building the supply chain

26:42 – Dealing with high overhead costs

29:47 – The story behind McDonald’s Happy Meals

33:48 – The game-changing moment for McDonald’s India

36:08 – McDonald’s journey from 2004 to 2012

43:15 – How strong leadership transformed McDonald’s

48:17 – McDonald’s capital allocation framework

53:23 – How a founder’s life changes after going public

1:01:20 – Key metrics every business owner should track

1:03:31 – How to know when your product has market fit

1:08:31 – Launching McDonald’s vegetarian menu in India

1:13:17 – Factors behind adapting the vegetarian menu

1:17:36 – Learning from mistakes while scaling

1:18:57 – Approach to product innovation

1:21:03 – How Gen Z is driving experimentation in QSR

1:23:02 – Succession planning at McDonald’s India

1:27:03 – How McDonald’s founder set up his family office

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