Rebel Foods gets mandate to run Wendy’s restaurants in India

Cloud kitchen operator Rebel Foods said it has entered a deal with Wendy’s to develop and expand the burger chain’s offline restaurants in India. The move marks an end to the chain’s erstwhile partnership with Sierra Nevada that held rights to expand the chain’s offline presence in the country.
To be sure, in 2020, Rebel Foods acquired the licence to exclusively develop Wendy’s cloud kitchens in India with a commitment to open approximately 250 such delivery-only kitchens across the country over a 10-year period.
Rebel Foods will now completely manage and operate the brand’s traditional restaurants across India. This expanded relationship will involve the acquisition of the exclusive master franchise rights for Wendy’s offline business in India and will continue the existing commitment to also develop approximately 150 traditional locations over the next decade.
“In this expanded, new franchise commitment, Rebel will help the brand grow its restaurant model in India with digital expertise in delivery, automation, and innovation,” Rebel Foods said in a statement announcing the news.
As part of the earlier 2020 agreement, Sierra Nevada, that has interests in the restaurant business, was mandated to operate 150 Wendy’s brick-and-mortar restaurants. The business has now been sold to Rebel Foods. “We sold our Wendy’s restaurants to Rebel and are very happy with the deal,” said Jasper Reid, managing director, Sierra Nevada.
Traditional restaurants typically include brick-and-mortar locations with a full menu for dine-in consumption, with or without a drive-thru.
Currently, Wendy’s is present in 19 cities across India with approximately 90 locations, which includes three traditional Wendy’s restaurants in India which Rebel Foods is operating.
Abigail Pringle, president, international and chief development officer, The Wendy’s Company said that India is a strategic and high-growth potential market for the burger chain. “We are thrilled that Rebel Foods is expanding its franchise commitment to accelerate Wendy’s footprint across the country with a mix of traditional restaurant expansion and digital innovation via cloud kitchens,” Pringle said. Wendy’s and its franchisees operate approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide.
Burgers will continue to be the big bite of 2023, and a big part of the food missions we achieve and own, said Sagar Kochhar, co-founder, Rebel Foods.
“With this collaboration, not only will Rebel Foods continue to retain our position as the world’s largest internet restaurant company, but we will also be the only cloud kitchen player in India to scale a large global QSR brand through the development of traditional restaurants and cloud kitchens in a super-fast and Capex-light manner, driven by technology and unique business model,” he said.
Rebel Foods operates food brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, Mandarin Oak, The Good Bowl, Slay Coffee via 450 kitchens in over 70 cities.
Source: livemint