Yoshinoya Enters India Market

Above, a Yoshinoya restaurant in Chiba Prefecture. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This following story caught my eye. 

Kyodo News reported:

NEW DELHI - Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Japan's major fast-food restaurant operator popularly known for its beef bowls, is advancing into the Indian market by establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary. 

Yoshinoya recently set up Yoshinoya India Pvt. Ltd. in Gurugram in the northern state of Haryana, documents filed with India's Ministry of Corporate Affairs show. 

"It is difficult to explore store opening without setting up an entity," a Yoshinoya spokeswoman told NNA.

The story caught my eye for a couple of reasons. I was wondering if there are any Yoshinoya restaurants in New Mexico. I did some checking and there are some in Albuquerque. Since I will be in Albuquerque next month, I will make it a point to stop in. I love their beef bowls.

The other, and main, reason is (from PBS.org):

Cows are considered sacred by Hindus in India. They were the favorite animal of Lord Krishna, and they serve as a symbol of wealth, strength, and abundance. 

Since India is predominately a Hindu nation, how well would Yoshinoya (with their beef bowls) do in that country since cows are considered sacred (thus the term "sacred cow")? I wonder, how serving beef in India will go over with the people? It will be interesting to see.

To read more, go here.