Jammu, Aug 17: American fast-food giant McDonald's today opened its first outlet here in Jammu and Kashmir, with a senior state official describing the event as a sign of restoration of peace and normalcy in the state.
The new restaurant, which is located at posh Residency Road in Jammu, was today inaugurated by Devender Rana, Political Advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
"This restaurant is the result of the restoration of peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, and under the leadership of Omar Abdullah-led coalition government this year is of prosperity, growth and economic resurgence," Rana told reporters.
The credit goes to the leadership of Omar, who has created such a peaceful environment and resurgence in tourism this year, he said and asked the McDonald team to take the footprint across the state to Kashmir and then Ladakh.
"McDonald's, the world's most recognised quick service brand, today opened its first restaurant in Jammu," Managing Director & JV Partner, McDonald's India (North & East) Vikram Bakshi told reporters here.
The new restaurant's opening is part of the company's aggressive expansion plans in the northern region and is the 126th restaurant in North & East of India, he said.
Taking a cue from Rana, Bakshi said that they will open three to four restaurants in Jammu and Kashmir, which will also include Kashmir.
The restaurant with a 2,100 square feet of space and seating capacity for about 100 people has a contemporary look which follows the brand's new re-imaging strategy currently being carried out across the world.
"With the new restaurant at Jammu, we have entered a very important market in the state of J&K... And bring all the world class products and service to the customers in the city that McDonald's offers across the country. We are committed to providing the customers here the same world class experience that our brand is known in India for," Bakshi said.
He further added, "This is our first restaurant in one of the foremost cities in the state. We are very hopeful of expanding further in this fast emerging region of the country."
The restaurant is designed with the state-of-the-art technology driven MFY (Made for You) kitchen. MFY is a unique concept where the food is prepared after the customer has placed his order, yet it is served very quickly based on McDonald's service standards. MFY enhances McDonald's already strong commitment to food safety and hygiene.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Aug 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST