Non-veg giant KFC’s first outlet in Gujarat faces opposition

Ahmedabad, 8 October, 2011

It is going to be the first outlet of non-veg food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken(KFC) in vegetarian main land of Gujarat, and the entry of KFC in Gujarat is being opposed with all strength in the area where it is coming.

The area is Vastrapur in western part of Amdavad, and the place is Gujarat’s biggest Alpha one mall.

The mall is located just next to residential colonies where thousands of strict vegetarian people live. The mall is also located at stone throwing distance from Vashnav Haveli mandir which was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi last year.

KFC has presence in more than dozen states in India, but not in Gujarat yet. This is because, in higher Hindu class of mainland of Gujarat, non-veg is complete no-no.

Contrary to fish consuming Brahmins of Maharashtra and Bengal, in Gujarat most of the Brahmins don’t consume fish. In Swaminarayana, Bania and Jain community too non-veg is completely avoided.

With some population of middle-class and upper-class non-Gujarati migrants, Ahmedabad’s western area of Vastrapur is mainly populated with Jain, Swaminarayan, Brahmin and Bania community people.

Ahmedabad is a unique city which has only Pizza Hut restaurant that serves only veg food. Ahmedabad is only city where Marriott group hotel has exclusive veg restaurant in the world. Before McDonald restaurant opened in Ahmedabad, the company called Gujarati journalists to Mumbai and convinced them that McDonald would use separate kitchen for veg and non-veg food in its Gujarat outlets.