After almost beating Maggi at their own game, and putting Nestle and Unilever to shame, Baba Ramdev is not done expanding his empire just yet.
After the major success of Patanjali products in India and abroad, the yoga guru now plans to take fast food chains like KFC, McDonalds among others head on by launching Patanjali vegetarian fast food outlets across the country.
Patanjali has built up a storm in the past few years, and is continuing to do so. The brand has expanded into self-care products, food products, house care and now plans to start testing waters into the fast food territory. With plans to launch over 400 vegetarian recipes at different outlets across India, Patanjali is already making news even before the launch of the new project.
According to a TOI report, 60-70 percent of fast food in India is vegetarian and major international food chains have altered their food to make it more palatable to the Indian palate. Talking about the introduction of a pure vegetarian fast food chain, 21-year-old medical student, Ambika Nair says, "I don't think I would be personally interested in eating from here as fast food without meat does not interest me."
On the other hand, 22-year-old PR student Krutika Parab says, "I would like to try their food only if they serve something interesting or out of the box. I do not think most youngsters would like to consume their products as their target audience are mostly middle-aged people."
While most youngsters are hesitant about the products being vegetarian, the older audience is much more accepting and a lot more interested. 50-year-old customer service manager, Vaishali Damke is a loyal customer of the brand. "I am excited about Baba Ramdev's new venture. We are usually very conscious of eating fast food mainly because it is unhealthy, but now with Patanjali coming up with its own fast food chains, that is something we will not have to worry about," she says.
So whether Patanjali will succeed with its new venture, the opinions are quite mixed. With a country that has the youngest population, will the new venture work without the support of GenNext? And if yes, will it change how young India eats?