India's quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is showing early signs of demand recovery, but Macquarie highlights rising costs and intensifying competition from food-delivery aggregators as reasons for its cautiousness. According to Macquarie, post-fourth-quarter trends indicate a gradual improvement in dine-in demand across restaurant chains. Within the sector, Macquarie remains most constructive on franchise operators Devyani International, Sapphire Foods and Westlife Foodworld. However, the recovery remains uneven and is being overshadowed by inflationary pressures and the growing dominance of delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy. The brokerage said same-store sales growth across the listed QSR universe is tracking broadly in line with or slightly ahead of fourth-quarter levels. However, restaurant brands continue to trail delivery aggregators in growth, highlighting a structural shift in consumer behaviour. To counter this trend, restaurant operators have increa...
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi paid tribute to Mukhtar Ansari and visited his residence in Ghazipur. Taking to the social media platform X, he expressed grief over Mukhtar Ansari's death and wrote, "Today we went to the house of the deceased Mukhtar Ansari and paid tribute to his family. In this difficult time, we stand with his family, supporters and loved ones." Taking a veiled jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, "Insha Allah, the light will break through this darkness. If you are 'Pharaoh' then 'Moses' will also definitely come." Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was laid to rest at the Kali Bagh burial ground in Ghazipur on Saturday. His mortal remains were buried near the graves of his parents. There was heavy security deployment in Ghazipur on account of his last rites. Police personnel were deployed along the route leading from his residence to the graveyard. Following the ...