Click to play videoHere's another case of promoting their ilk, by the Shiv Sena. This time around, the results may be mouth-watering and quite palatable, though. And the plans are huge.
Mumbai's famous vada pav is in for a makeover. International fast food giants McDonald’s is in talks with the Shiv Sena who wishes to market its own brand of Mumbai's favourite snack...the Shiv vada.
So what does the McDonald's vada pao get called? Mc.Vada Pao, maybe.
So, the next time you are at a Mac’s, the options will be beyond the regular McChicken and McVeggie...get ready for McVada!
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told us that the Sena had asked the US fast food company to help them out with the marketing of Shiv Vada, to brand it and standardize it.
The move by the Shiv Sena to seek the help of an American multinational has come as a surprise to many.
But as the vada goes global, it may be recollected Mumbai-based fast food retailer Jumbo King Vada Pav has successfully marketed the snack across Mumbai as a brand.
Jumbo King Vada Pav had closed financial year 2006-7 with a turnover of Rs 8 crore from its 32 shops across Mumbai.
It is looking for expansion as it covers Maharashtra and Gujarat with over a hundred shops selling the western staple fast food.
But the Sena does not have it on its radar, as it choses the American iconic mascot clown Ronald McDonald over Mumbai's very own Jumbo King.
Dheeraj Gupta, Founder, Jumbo King said, ”We were in talks with Shiv Sena and we had offered them our expertise, but in the end it didn't materialize.”
That is some food for thought from the Sena, we must agree.
(With inputs from Sushobhan Patankar and Ravindra Ambekar)
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