McDonald's reopens its first outlet in West Bengal after settling dispute with Vikram Bakshi

McDonald’s has reopened its outlet at City Centre II in Kolkata. This is the first outlet to have relaunched in West Bengal after the US fast-food chain settled an almost six-year-long dispute with estranged partner Vikram Bakshi.

Since May 9, the eight outlets in Kolkata and Durgapur had remained closed. Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd (CPRL), which operates the chain of quick service restaurants in northern and eastern India, is now wholly owned by McDonald’s India. Earlier, CPRL was owned by Vikram Bakshi. 

Under the out-of-court settlement, McDonald’s bought out for an undisclosed sum Bakshi’s and his entities’ 50% in CPRL.

Rob Hunghanfoo, Head of CPRL, said, “We are thrilled to have started the re-opening process and look forward to serving our customers a more authentic McDonald’s experience. Our CPRL teams have been fully focused on the work needed to prepare the restaurants over the past few weeks, and these openings are the result of their dedication, collaboration and professionalism.”

“We will continue to work around the clock and plan to gradually reopen more restaurants in the coming days and weeks. While we are confident this will result in the best possible experience for our customers, we sincerely regret any inconvenience the continued temporary restaurant closures may cause,” he added.

McDonald’s has 38,000 locations in more than 100 countries, with over 90% owned and operated by local business partners.