American breakfast chain Dunkin’ Donuts has launched its first restaurant in Chandigarh, following the launch of nine stores across Delhi. For consumers who gorge on everything from burgers to pizzas and cakes, the chain has tweaked its offerings to introduce Indian culinary delights.

Roasted coconut donut and pistachio saffron donut, which made an appearance during Diwali as an Indian-style gifting option, have continued their stay with the 24 varieties of donut on offer by the American brand.

“We realised certain products within donuts do extremely well, besides the all-time favourite chocolate. We introduced new flavours in Diwali, such as motichoor ladoo donuts, coconut with gulab jamun donuts, all borne of the necessity to experiment with local flavours,” said Dev Amritesh, President and COO, Dunkin’ Donuts India.

Speaking to Business Line , Amritesh said the national capital was among the first outposts in India. “The focus in the first year was Delhi. We will expand to top metro cities such as Mumbai and Bangalore,” he added.

Dunkin' Donuts has partnered with fast food operator Jubilant Foodworks, which runs the Domino’s Pizza chain in the country. The firm has invested around Rs 12 crore to roll out its 10 stores, and is set to open 80 to 100 outlets in India over the next five years.

The US-based eatery chain decided to move out of Delhi, purely “to try a few experiments”. We still have a lot of opportunity in Delhi, though we have opened 9 stores, said the COO. The offerings at the new outlet in Chandigarh promise to go beyond donuts to sandwiches and a wide beverages range, with the core proposition that the chain would offer an all-day dining experience.

“We felt ready to leverage the Delhi infrastructure in terms of the supply chain. Besides, customers in Chandigarh are not just appreciative of food, but also in tune with the latest international trends,” he added.

The baked goods chain has launched a marketing blitzkrieg in Chandigarh. The company will give away year-long vouchers of free donuts to all customers who visit the restaurant on March 23.

“We wanted to create a buzz. While we will immediately get a huge number of people to try the product, the 365-free donut offer immediately changes the scale of entry,” noted Amritesh.

For the firm, it is more than a sampling opportunity, with social networks adding to the tempo. “We have been around for 10 months, from May 2012. The insights we have garnered about the Indian market is that it doesn't respond exactly the same way as the markets in the rest of the world do,” he added.

amritanair.ghaswalla@thehindu.co.in

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