McDonald's Goes Meatless in India

McDonald's, the fast food chain that brought the beef hamburger to the world, is opening what may be its first vegetarian-only restaurants.

A McDonalds sign welcomes patrons into the restaurant in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007. McDonald's Corp., the world's largest fast-food chain, says its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled, thanks in large part to the spinoff of a burrito chain and strong sales in Europe. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner)

Chris Gardner

The world's biggest hamburger chain said the locations in India will serve only vegetarian food because of customer preferences in the region. The company could not immediately say when the restaurants would open or how many there would be.

McDonald's said its kitchens in India are already separated into sections for cooking vegetarian and non-vegetarian food and restaurants there do not sell any beef or pork.

They also have menu items that cater to local tastes, such as the Maharaja Mac, which is a Big Mac made with chicken patties. McDonald's said local franchises in India and other regions may already serve only vegetarian food.