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Australian fast-food chain Country Chicken is looking at establishing a central processing plant (blending unit) in Chennai to ensure standardisation of food taste and quality. The unit, over a period of time, will be transformed into a global food processing hub, catering to close to 450 units around the world. The fast-food chain is in the process of identifying land and expected to make the unit operational in a year.
Peter Austin, CEO and chairman, Country Chicken, told FE that currently the company has been doing the processing of food out of Australian units, which is expensive. “We are planning to set up a unit in Chennai which will be for Indian and Sri Lankan restaurants initially and we will make this unit a global food processing hub. The company has just signed an agreement to set up shops in Sri Lanka, which will be operational in a couple of weeks,” Austin said.
Speaking on the sidelines of opening of its first restaurant in Chennai, Austin said that the group wanted to have a major presence pan India. It plans to open 300 outlets in another four years. For south, it has appointed MMC Group (Tantush Foods) as master franchisee. “As part of our expansion plan we are looking for a franchisee for north India,” he said. The restaurant group intends to train human resources for upcoming blending units and outlets.
Additional Country Chicken restaurants are expected to open in the market throughout 2013 and beyond. Jolly Banerji,