In 2013, McDonald's is planning to open its first vegetarian outlet in the hills near the Vaishno Devi, a holy Hindu temple in Jammu & Kashmir, India. Additionally, the chain is planning a second all-vegetarian unit near the Golden Temple in Amritsar, according to the India Times.
McDonald's first entered India in 1996 and has operated there without its signature beef hamburgers. Vegetarian items make up half of the chain's menu and sales, and the McAloo Tikki burger (potato based) accounts for 25 percent of total sales.
McDonald's opened its first location in Jammu a month ago, creating a supply chain in the region for the expansion.
The expansion plan has been met with protest. According to The Daily Telegraph, Hindu nationalist group Swadeshi Jagran Manch, opposes McDonald's plans and described them as an attempt to "humiliate Hindus."
"It's an attempt not only to make money but also to deliberately humiliate Hindus. It is an organization associated with cow slaughter. If we make an announcement that they're slaughtering cows, people won't eat there. We are definitely going to fight it," National co-convener S. Gurumurthy told The Daily Telegraph.
Last month, Subway introduced its first vegetarian outlet at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, India.
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