The

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

industry in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

has evolved with the changing lifestyles of the young Indian population. The variety of gastronomic preferences across the regions, hereditary or acquired, has brought about different modules across the country. Many of the traditional dishes have been adapted to suit the emerging fast food outlets. The basic adaptation is to decrease the processing and serving time. For example, the typical meal which called for being served by an ever-alert attendant is now offered as a Mini-Meal across the counter. In its traditional version, a plate or a banana leaf was first laid down on the floor or table. Several helpers then waited on the diner, doling out different dishes and refilling as they got over in the plate. In the fast-food version, a plate already arranged with a variety of cooked vegetables and curries along with a fixed quantity of rice and Indian flatbreads is handed out across the counter against a prepaid coupon. The curries and breads vary depending on the region and local preferences. The higher priced ones may add a sweet to the combination. Refills are generally not offered.

Styles

It is common to serve different cuisines at different counters within the same premises. Presence of a large vegetarian population, who eschew non-vegetarian food, has given rise to outlets which exclusively serve vegetarian fast food. Also, different variety of food may be served depending on the times of the day. Beverages such coffee, tea, soft drinks and fruit juices may also be served in such outlets. Some outlets may additionally have specially designed counters for

ice-cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food colouring ...

chaat Chaat, or chāt (IAST: ''cāṭ)'' () is a family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. ...

s etc. Popular formats of fast food business in India have the following features in common: * Wide opening on the roadside * Easy to maintain and durable décor * A cash counter where food coupons are sold * A food delivery counter which invariably is granite topped * Additional counters for Ice Creams, Chaats, Beverages etc. * A well fitted kitchen located so as to be visible to the customers * Tall tables, typically of stainless steel, where one can eat while standing * A drinking water fountain adorned with a water filter * Rust-proof and non-breakable crockery Most of the fast food outlets in India are stand alone establishment, few of them having more than one branch.

Food courts

Another concept of fast food that is becoming popular is that of Food Courts. Here also one has to purchase coupons and collect the food from one of the several counters. Each one of these counters serves specific variety of food and may be owned by different individuals or caterers. Food Courts are normally located on much bigger premises and may provide seating facility in addition to the stand and eat arrangement. Typically one entrepreneur owns or takes on lease the entire premises and promotes the place under one name. They then let out individual counters to different independent operators to offer different menu. Internal competition is avoided by not allowing more than one counter to offer similar food. Several international fast-food chains like

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's s ...

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

, and

Taco Bell Taco Bell Corp. is an American multinational chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired ...

have their outlets in major cities. Some Indian chains with outlets across India include Barista Coffee and

Café Coffee Day Café Coffee Day (CCD) is an Indian multinational chain of coffeehouses headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is a subsidiary of Coffee Day Enterprises Limited. Internationally, CCD is present in Austria, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Nepal and ...

. Now local chains coupled with numerous foreign fast foods have appeared in India.

Varieties of food offered

Some of the popular dishes offered at Indian fast food outlets are:

Western Indian

Vada pav Vada pav, alternatively spelt wada pao, is a vegetarian fast food dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The dish consists of a deep-fried potato dumpling placed inside a bread bun (''pav'') sliced almost in half through the middle ...

– a deep-fried potato (''vada'') sandwiched in a bread bun (''pav'') * Misal pav – cooked sprouted lentils and farsan in a spicy gravy * Pav bhaji – a thick vegetable curry (''bhaji'') served with a soft bread roll (''pav'') *

Khaman Khaman is a savoury snack from India that found fame in Gujarat. Khaman is made from ground channa daal or channa gram flour, usually with lemon juice, semolina, and curd. A final '' tadka'' can be added, using ingredients such as asafoetida a ...

– a Gujarati snack that is made from fresh daal or gram flour *

Samosa A samosa () () (Hindi: समोसा) ( Persian: سمبوسه) is a fried South Asian and West Asian snack. It is a pastry with a savory filling that mostly consists of vegetables like spiced potatoes, onions, and peas, but can also include ...

– a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas *

Usal Usaḷ or Ūsaḷ () is a dish from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is made of legumes such as peas, lentils, black-eyed beans, matki (moth bean), moong (green gram) or Hyacinth beans. Generally, the beans are soaked in water and allowed t ...

– a Maharastrian dish made of legumes such as peas, lentils, black-eyed beans, Matki, Moong, or Hyacinth beans * Khandvi – Khandvi *

Gathiya Ganthiya () are deep-fried Indian snacks made from chickpea flour. Along with Khakhra, Fafda, Dhokla, and Khandvi (among others), they are among the most popular snacks originating from the Indian state of Gujarat. They are a popular teatime sna ...

– Bhavanagar gathiya, Gathiya *

Jalebi ''Jalebi'' is a popular sweet snack in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia and some parts of Africa. It goes by many names, including ''jilapi'', ''zelepi'','' jilebi'', '' jilipi'', ''zulbia'', ''zoolbia'', ''jerry'', ''mushabak'', ''z'labia'' ...

– Kesar jalebi, Desi ghee jalebi * Poha – Masa Poha, Kanda poha, Usal poha *

Puff Puff or puffs may refer to: Science and technology * Puff, a small quantity of gas or smoke in the air ** Puff, a light gust of wind ** Exhalation ** Inhalation * Puff model, volcanic ash tracking model developed at the University of Alaska Fairba ...

– Masala Puff, Cheese Puff * Shahi tukda – A bread pudding sweet

South Indian

Idli Idli, iddena, iddali or idly (; plural: idlis) is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-h ...

– Rice Idli, Rava Idli * Vada – Uddina Vada, Rava Vada, Masala Vada, Maddur Vada *

Dosa Dosa may refer to: Belief * Dosa or dvesha, a Buddhist concept of hate or aversion People * Bogoljub Mitić Đoša (1968 - 2017), Serbian actor * Csaba Dosa (born 1951), Romanian athlete * Dosa ben Harkinas, Jewish Tanna sage * Dosa ben S ...

- Masala Dosa, Set Dosa, Rava Dosa *

Upma Upma, uppumavu, or uppittu is a dish of thick porridge from dry-roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. Upma originated from Southern India, is most common in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana. Of ...

, Kesaribhath *

Puliyogare Pulihora, also known as Pulisoru, Pulinchoru, Puliyogare, Puliyodarai, Ambad Baath, Kokum rice, or simply Tamarind rice, is a common and traditional rice preparation in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and ...

* Pongal *

Vangibath Vangi Bath (Kannada: ವಾಂಗಿ ಬಾತ್) is a vegetarian South Indian dish that originated in Karnataka, Mysuru region, though it is found throughout India. Vangi means brinjal (eggplant) and bhath means rice. Mostly viewed as a dr ...

* Vegetable

Bonda ''Bonda'' may refer to: People * Bonda people, are a Munda ethnic group in Odisha, India * Bonda language, spoken by Bonda people in Odisha, India *Bonda Mani, an Indian actor *Bonda Umamaheswara Rao Bonda Umamaheswara Rao is an Indian polit ...

Chaat Chaat, or chāt (IAST: ''cāṭ)'' () is a family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. ...

Poori Puri, also poori, is a type of deep-fried bread, made from unleavened whole-wheat flour, originated from the Indian subcontinent. Puris are most commonly served as breakfast or snacks. It is also served at special or ceremonial functions a ...

Others

Bonda Soup ''Bonda'' may refer to: People * Bonda people, are a Munda ethnic group in Odisha, India * Bonda language, spoken by Bonda people in Odisha, India *Bonda Mani, an Indian actor *Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, an Indian politician Other uses *Bonda (sna ...

* Pohay *

Bhajji A bhaji or bajji is a type of fritter originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is made from spicy hot vegetables, commonly onion, and has several variants. It is a popular snack food in Pakistan. It can be found for sale in street-side stalls, ...

– Banana Bhajji, Green Chili Bhajji *

Pakora Pakora () is a fritter originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are sold by street vendors and served in restaurants across South Asia. They often consist of vegetables such as potatoes and onions, which are coated in seasoned gram flour ...

– Onion Pakora, Vegetable Pakora *

Thali Thali (meaning "plate" or "tray") or Bhojanam (meaning "full meal") is a round Platter (dishware), platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a sel ...

- vegetable, chicken,

mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...

Rajma Rājmā (, , ), also known as rajmah, rāzmā, or lal lobia, is a vegetarian dish, originating from the Indian subcontinent, consisting of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with many Indian whole spices, and is usually served with rice. It ...

rice *

Indian Chinese cuisine Indian Chinese cuisine, Chinese Indian cuisine, Indo-Chinese cuisine, Sino-Indian cuisine, Chindian cuisine, Hakka Chinese or Desi-Chinese cuisine is a distinct style of Chinese cuisine adapted to Indian tastes and spices. Though Asian cuisi ...

Pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

Burger Burger or Burgers may refer to: Food and drink Foods * Hamburger, a food consisting of one or more cooked beef patties, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun roll. ** Cheeseburger, a hamburger with added cheese(s) * Ground beef, minced bee ...

(chicken, mutton, veg) * Wraps and rolls *

* Grilled chicken *

, patties(E.g.

Ragda pattice Ragda patties (colloquially ragda pattice) is a dish of mashed potato patties and pea sauce, and is part of the street food culture in the Indian states of Gujarat & Maharashtra. It is similar to ''chhole tikki'', more popular in North India. ...

), bread pakoda *

Dabeli Dabeli, kutchi dabeli or double roti (, Devanagari: दाबेली, कच्छी दाबेली), is a popular snack food of India, originating in the Mandvi, Kutch region. It is a spicy yet sweet snack made by mixing boiled potato ...

Doner kebab Doner kebab or döner kebab is a dish of Turkish cuisine, Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking elemen ...

* Dum

biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating in South Asia, made with rice, meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef) or seafood (prawns or fish), and spices. To cater to vegetarians, the meat or seafood can be substituted with vegetables or pane ...

Fish and chips Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of batter (cooking), battered and fried fish, served with French fries, chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, ...

Salads A salad is a Dish (food), dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called ''salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of ...

* Fruit beer * Mutar kulcha * Pao bhaji * Stuffed

paratha Paratha (, also parantha/parontah) is a flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent, with earliest reference mentioned in early medieval Sanskrit, India. It is one of the most popular flatbreads in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. ...

* Fruit salad * Idli sambar * Vada sambar * Dahi wada *

Bhajiya A bhaji or bajji is a type of fritter originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is made from spicy hot vegetables, commonly onion, and has several variants. It is a popular snack food in Pakistan. It can be found for sale in street-side stalls, ...

* Mini Meals * Chapati and sabji * koalcha * Momos

Beverages

Coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

Lassi Lassi () is a Dahi (curd), yogurt–based beverage with a smoothie-like consistency. It has been called "the most popular and traditional yogurt-based drink" in India. It has also been described as the form in which yogurt "is most cherished ...

Fruit punch The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the l ...

Cold Drinks Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

* Fresh fruit juice *

Milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may ...

Mocktails A non-alcoholic mixed drink (also known as virgin cocktail, temperance drink, "zero proof" drink or mocktail) is a cocktail-style beverage made without alcohol. Non-alcoholic mixed drinks date back to when cocktails emerged, appearing as "temp ...

Sugarcane juice Sugarcane juice is the liquid extracted from pressed sugarcane. It is consumed as a beverage in many places, especially where sugarcane is commercially grown, such as Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, mainly Egypt, and also ...

* Soup (Hot Beverage)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indian Fast Food Fast food

Fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...