ABSTRACT

Food, clothing and shelter are the fundamental needs of people. It is only logical that
there would be humongous business around these basic necessities. With times, the
food business has evolved into a massive global industry. It is categorised based on
end-user, system and output. Full service restaurants (FSR) and Quick Service
Restaurants (QSR) are the two classifications based on output. QSR is also referred
to as “junk food”, “fast food”, or “fast casual”.

Employment opportunities have led to movement and migration of people from one
part of the world to another. This in turn has created exposure to multiple types of
cuisines. With many options, consumers are spoilt for choice. Food is no longer just
a basic “need”, rather it has become a “want”. Consumer preferences have changed.
Businesses are continuously innovating to make their offerings more appealing.

A quick service restaurant is a type of restaurant that specialises in fast meals and
offers limited in-dine services. The focus is always on providing the bare minimum of
service. Most fast service restaurants promote their speedy delivery, drive-thru
alternatives, and typically provide a budget-friendly selection of food choices on their
menus.

In the past decade, market conditions have changed dramatically. Disposable

incomes have increased. Family structures have shifted more towards nuclear
families than joint families. Population of working women has gone up. The internet
and globalisation has had its own impact in India. In general, life is moving at a fast
pace. Factors such as these have boosted the fast food demand. McDonald’s,
Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s are few international QSRs that were quick to
spot an opportunity and have ventured into the Indian market.

McDonald's is the most popular brand, and it also happened to have locations in the
city of Navi Mumbai, India, at the time of the study. Most fast food restaurants
globally have targeted young consumers. The researcher looked at McDonald's
marketing methods and their influence on teen customer behaviour in Navi Mumbai
in the current study.
Three hypotheses were developed for this goal. The research instrument was
structured so that each part is devoted to the study of evidence and the interpretation
of a single hypothesis. The tool was sent to teens in Navi Mumbai's various nodes.
Permission to engage with their pupils and brief them on the findings was sought
from schools and private coaching courses. A pilot study was conducted with a
sample size of 75 teenagers to check the reliability and validity of the tool. Based on
Taro Yamane method, 488 teen respondents participated in the study.

The study found that today's young consumers are socially active and have strong
opinions about what they want. When ordering from McDonald's, they are not readily
swayed by family and friends. The majority of those who responded were concerned
about quality and brand recognition. They didn't place a high value on price or
location. Because of the taste and McDonald's brand, most consumers preferred
McDonald's over rival QSRs. In terms of staff, SOPs, location, and other elements,
respondents did not see any difference between McDonald's and other rival QSRs.
Social media appeared to be an effective platform to engage with this segment of
consumers. Gender based classification for teenagers emerged as a helpful insight.
However, it was found that categorisation of teenagers further based on age-group
was not required.