FASTFOOD / RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
Introduction
Indian QSR (quick service restaurants) Industry is growing very rapidly. It is a reflection of the change in the lifestyle, food habits and consumption pattern of the population. The incidence of Dining out, ordering from home as well as takeaways is rising creating an opportunity to cater to a wide mass of population. What was the domain of upper class, singles or forced bachelors, has percolated to all echelons of society. The incidence and value differ substantially, but penetration of such consumption habits is wide spread and is on the increase. Although largely an urban phenomenon, the pattern is also emerging in rural areas with better road connectivity, increased vehicle ownership and rise in income levels. In a country with more than a billion people, opportunities in India are abound. This has led to a rapid growth of the QSR industry. However, simultaneously, it has also created a canvass that has many failures and carcass. Several outlets have been closed, a large number are struggling, still a large number are just about surviving and lot many of them have not been able to find their feet. There are a lot who are successful, but, more importantly, there is almost a complete absence of national chains. This indicates to the fact that just having a lot of opportunities is not enough. These opportunities need to be harnessed and converted into profitable enterprises. This paper is an attempt to understand the industry, its key success factors.

History
Restaurants have been around in some form for most of human civilization. But they usually catered to travellers. As far back as ancient Greece and Rome, inns and taverns generally served food to people who had a reason to be away from home. This trend continued until relatively recently. Although taverns and coffee houses were popular places to gather and