American fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) might that specialises in fried chicken might soon be in the temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, but under one condition.
KFC, which has thousands of outlets in India, including one unit at Ayodhya-Lucknow highway, can be provided space in Ayodhya if it decides to sell only vegetarian items, a government official said.
“KFC has set up its unit at Ayodhya-Lucknow highway because we do not allow non-vegetarian food items here. We are ready to provide even KFC a space if it decides to sell only vegetarian items,” a moneycontrol report quoted Vishal Singh, a government official in Ayodhya, as saying.
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Ayodhya, where the Ram temple was recently opened, strictly prohibits serving meat and liquor within the Panch Kosi Marg, which is a 15-km pilgrimage circuit around the city.
Apart from Ayodhya, meat is also not allowed to be served in the holy town of Haridwar in Uttarakhand, where outlets such as KFC located outside the city on the Haridwar-Roorkee highway.
Meanwhile, popular pizza chain Domino’s bustling with customers just days after it opened in Ayodhya, despite a meat-free menu.
“On the first day itself, I did a business of around Rs 5,000,” Yadav said on telephone from Ayodhya, 140 km southwest of Lucknow. “The construction work is still on. We cannot cater to the customers in large numbers yet. We will do well,” the report quoted Dinesh Yadav, owner of the franchise, as saying.
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The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya opened for the public on January 23, a day after the Ram Lalla idol was consecrated in a big ceremony which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was attended by the who's who. The Ram temple has seen a massive footfall of devotees since then and it is expected to go up around Navratri this year.
