McDonald's issues rare warning against eating at more than 100 of its restaurants in India

Anushree Singh/Business Insider

McDonald's is warning customers against eating at dozens of its outlets in India.

• McDonald's is warning customers against eating at 169 restaurants in India operated by franchisee Connaught Plaza Restaurants (CPRL).
• The fast-food chain said there are "serious compliance risks" concerning the safety and quality of the food.
• McDonald's has been locked in a bitter battle with CPRL for years.

McDonald's is telling customers not to eat at more than 100 of its restaurants in India, saying the food doesn't meet its standards for quality and safety.

The fast-food chain said there are "serious compliance risks" at 169 of its Indian restaurants that are operated by one of its franchise partners, Connaught Plaza Restaurants (CPRL), Quartz India reports.

McDonald's India has been locked in a bitter battle with CPRL for years. Four months ago, the company terminated its franchise agreement with CPRL.

"Since the termination of the franchise agreement, McDonald's India has not been able to verify if the unauthorized McDonald's restaurants operated by CPRL in north and east India are complying with applicable McDonald's standards, including those pertaining to supplies, operations and safety standards, and quality required for McDonald's products," a spokesman for McDonald's India told Quartz.

The warning from McDonald's comes several days after dozens of CPRL's restaurants were shut down due to a disagreement with a supplier.

CPRL has promised to find a new supplier to reopen the outlets, but McDonald's India says the restaurants need to be shut down permanently.

EXCLUSIVE FREE SLIDE DECK:
The Future of Retail 2018 by the BI Intelligence Research Team.
Get the Slide Deck Now »