Burger King Worldwide Enters 100th Country With Opening Of First Restaurant In India
MIAMI -November 9, 2014 - Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: BKW) today announced the opening of the first BURGER KING® restaurant in New Delhi. This event marks not only its debut in India, but also a milestone for the BURGER KING® brand, which is now operating in its 100th country.
"It is fitting that the celebration of our 100th country is happening in India, a vibrant and exciting marketplace," says Elias Diaz Sese, president, BK Asiapac, Pte. Ltd. I'm excited about our potential in India and believe we have the right partner and experienced team to make this market a success for the BURGER KING® brand."
The debut restaurant opens on Sunday, November 9, 2014 in India at Select Citywalk, Saket, New Delhi, a location chosen for its reputation as one of the best malls in the country in terms of traffic and business generation and a top destination for guests living in and around New Delhi. The restaurant is equipped with a dual production line (one each for vegetarian and non-vegetarian products) and even the staff managing vegetarian and non-vegetarian products is different.
The BURGER KING® team spent months developing a unique locally sourced menu that has been researched and tested by more than 5,000 customers across 8 cities. Some of the innovative products include The Vegetarian WHOPPER® sandwich, The Mutton WHOPPER® sandwich, The Chicken WHOPPER® sandwich, The Chicken Tandoor Grill, and The King's Paneer Melt.
The opening was preceded by a full week of celebratory activities leading up to the brand's debut including a promotion allowing guests to pre-order a WHOPPER® sandwich online on eBay -- 1,200 WHOPPER® sandwiches were sold in 36 hours -- and a special invitation-only tasting for food critics from across Delhi followed by a pressure test game hosted by renowned TV show hosts Rocky & Mayur, former emcees of the NDTV Good Times National Food Awards and Celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani, host of "Vicky Goes Veg" on NDTV Good Times.
"We are extremely pleased to launch this iconic brand into one of the largest and most dynamic consumer markets in the world. We have managed to successfully combine the BURGER KING® brand philosophy of exceptional taste, fresh ingredients and good value with Indian flavours and locally sourced produce," adds Sameer Sain, co-founder and managing partner, Everstone Capital. "The response has been overwhelming and we look forward to delivering exceptional food and an extraordinary guest experience as we continue to open outlets across the country."
Burger King India Private Limited is a joint venture formed last year by BK Asiapac, Pte. and Everstone Capital, a leading India and South East Asia focused investor with dedicated private equity and real estate funds, to develop the BURGER KING® brand in India. Similar joint ventures established in China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and France have contributed to industry-leading global restaurant growth for the BURGER KING® brand. Entry into a large and complex market like India is a further example of BKW's commitment to deliver on its aggressive international growth strategy.
The restaurant opening in New Delhi is expected to be followed by additional openings in New Delhi and Mumbai as well as expansion into new cities and regions in 2015.
About Burger King Worldwide
Founded in 1954, BURGER KING® (NYSE: BKW) is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates in approximately 14,000 locations serving more than 11 million guests daily in nearly 100 countries and territories worldwide. Approximately 100 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. To learn more about Burger King Worldwide, please visit the company's website at www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Everstone Capital
Founded in 2006, the Everstone Capital is a leading India and South East Asia focused investor with private equity and real estate funds. Headquartered in Singapore, the firm has around 150 people working across five offices (Singapore, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Mauritius). Everstone Capital was awarded 'Private Equity Firm of the Year in India' by Private Equity International for three consecutive years (2011, 2012 and 2013).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are often identified by the words "may," "might," "believes," "thinks," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends" or similar expressions and include statements regarding the expectations of Burger King Worldwide, Inc. ("BKW") regarding the growth opportunities in India and the ability of the joint venture to capitalize on these opportunities and rapidly expand the BURGER KING® brand's presence in India. These forward-looking statements may be affected by risks and uncertainties in BKW's business and market conditions. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in filings made by BKW with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including BKW's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. BKW wishes to caution readers that certain important factors may have affected and could in the future affect BKW's actual results and could cause BKW's actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of BKW, including the risk that the joint venture will not be successful in opening BURGER KING® restaurants in additional cities and regions in India, that the new products will not appeal to Indian tastes or that the opportunities to open restaurants in India will decline. BKW undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
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Source: Burger King Worldwide Inc via Globenewswire
