The American based fast food restaurant chain was waiting for its fellow competitors to set their base in the country to start their operations. With thrifty experiences at consecutive launches, I had entered the venue with minimal expectations. Contrary to which, the humble team and the satisfactory meal helped us move to a positive conclusion regarding the burger giant.They’ve made a mark with their brilliant marketing moves throughout the last few years; whether it was the Paris Hilton campaign or Terrel Owell’s campaign. Keeping the tradition intact, they stepped in the Indian market with an innovative advertisement in collaboration with coca-cola.
Talking about the launch; it was indeed a smartly organised event, spread across three days to suit each client’s convenience. With food bloggers, consultants, foreign clients and various analysts the place was booming with positive enthusiastic vibes. The PR team along with the team of Carl’s Jr. was on their toes to an invitee’s delight (and satisfaction). Located in one of the most visited suburbs of the capital, the fast food restaurant has a delightful ambience with a localised menu customised for the Indian taste buds. My personal highlight of the day was the Onion Rings. After having tried pakodas and snacks at places (the number outnumbers my age), I can say I’ve found my personal favourite- the onion rings at Carl’s Jr. The same onion rings are used in the Mile High(Non vegetarian Burger) which has a grilled chicken patty along with the Santa Fe Sauce that goes with anything and everything. Adding to the basic flavours, Carl’s Jr. introduces Fenugreek in their burgers and strips, both vegetarian. It’s always a safer move to experiment and innovate around the vegetarian stakes. Talking about vegetarian burgers, not a lot of chains have successfully mastered a cottage cheese burger. Next up my preference list is definitely the Veg Tandoori Burger consisting of smoked paneer and mint sauce; simple and delicious, hence making it to the list mentioned before. Chicken Tender, deep fried chicken strips, were decent enough to not be a disappointment, hence another plus. But every place has something that doesn’t sway you; for me Carls Jr. shakes would be the unfortunate item on the list. Neither a perfect blend of chocolate and vanilla nor a very interesting Pinacolada. Both the shakes were too sweet for my taste buds to acknowledge the other flavours. Nonetheless, you could always pair your burger/strips/rings with a coke and enjoy the extensive retrieving monsoon, like we did.
Contrary to the popular belief and word of mouth, I’d love to pay for the aforementioned favourites and enjoy them with a pal; because Carls Jr. won a major plus in my list of experiences. By Harshili Malhotra
