This Saturday marks the start of Navratri, the nine-day-long Hindu festival that celebrates the three main forms of the goddess of prosperity.
During Navratri, many Hindus will abstain from meat and eggs as part of their penance. Others will also avoid onion and garlic, which are considered , or foods with stimulant and mild aphrodisiac properties. Some will also abstain from wheat.
So, to both cater to these dietary requirements and boost sales, 500 Domino's Pizza outlets across India will be altering their menus.
With 1062 outlets across India, that’s just under half of them abandoning their regular menus for the nine-day festival. Participating Domino's restaurants will only offer vegetarian options, also sans onion, garlic, and wheat. Tomato pizza sauce will be prepared without onion or garlic, while pizza bases will be made using water chestnut flour.
"Consumption of non-vegetarian food reduces significantly during this time," Domino's Pizza India President Dev Amritesh tells the . "This move is an acknowledgement that though we are a global brand, we are conscious about consumer needs."
Many Western food chains in India factor in the country’s large lactovegetarian (vegetarians who don’t eat eggs) population, offering menus with varied options for vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers.
Customers eating pizza at a Dominos outlet in New Delhi. (via Getty Images) Source: Bloomberg / Getty Images
Dominos outlet in New Delhi (via Getty Images) Source: Bloomberg / Getty Images
These chains also account for other cultural sensitivities when it comes to meat-etiquette, such as not mixing serving utensils between meat and vegetarian dishes, and keeping meat a safe distance from vegetarian food.
For example, Subway India outlets each have two separate salad bars divided by a cashier. One salad bar is fitted with compartments for meat additives, and the other with vegetarian protein additives, so non-vegetarian and vegetarian sandwiches can be prepared in separate areas. Subway staff are also required to change their gloves when serving between vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers.
Sales for Domino's India have been hit hard in recent years. The Western pizza giant trialled this Navratri initiative last year with some success, and hopes with a larger scale roll out this year to see even better results.
Subway India outlet with separate non-vegetarian and vegetarian salad bars. (via Culinary Delites) Source: Culinary Delites
"Pizza being a very versatile product, we have been able to create this menu," says Amritesh. “It's about making a statement to consumers.”
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